The origin of the use of tea is lost in antiquity. The word tea comes from a Chinese ideogram pronounced "tay" in the Amoy dialect. It is believed that tea cultivation began in the interior province Szechwan in China, gradually extending down the Yangtze Valley to the seaboard provinces.

Tea cultivation was introduced into Japan, along with other aspects of Chinese civilization, in the last decade of the 6th century. At first it was drunk by Buddhist monks but by the 13th century tea had become a popular beverage in Japan.

The ancient tea ceremony or cha-no-yu is still widely practiced. Tea was introduced to Europe in the early 17th century with the beginning of trade between Europe and the Far East. The trade in tea greatly increased with the introduction of the tea clippers, fast sailing ships plying the world's sea routes.