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Read more about tea in the United States in part 4
Tea is a drink that has been closely associated with culture. When you think about tea, what country comes to mind? For many people in the United States, they would answer the UK or Ireland. However, Australia has its own unique history with tea.
Aboriginal Australians made tea by using leaves from the local plants. This early form of tea-making showed that Australia was a place rich in culture and history long before European settlers arrived. However, due to their isolation, it is difficult to prove how much this practice spread out across Australia.
Australia's first settlers came from England in 1788. When they arrived, many of them were already used to drinking tea and there is evidence that the ships on which they traveled had been stocked with large quantities of it. These Australian settlers from England brought tea with them, and its popularity increased as Australia's population grew.
Tea was initially very expensive to buy - it had to be imported from the UK, China, or India! Drinking tea became more widespread after 1859 when a different way of preparing black tea opened up - adding boiling water to dried leaves rather than steeping them for several hours in hot water poured through a strainer.
By the 1880s, there were over 30 Australian companies producing their own brands of teas, but they all used Chinese grown tea leaves. They sold mostly blended teas that mixed together with various quality grades of the leaf until they found one that looked nice enough on the packet before being packaged into tins by women at home.
Over time, Australia began importing its own supplies directly from Asia but when prices went up during World War I, Aussies took matters into their own hands and started growing tea themselves!
Alfred Bushell is a famous name in Australia’s tea history. He was the man responsible for Australia's first commercial tea plantation and processing factory, which opened in 1878 at Barellan, New South Wales. The Bushell family also started Australia’s first mail-order business, selling teas direct to customers across the country.
Australian tea culture has birthed a unique way of drinking and preparing tea that suits the Australian lifestyle. Australians like to drink their tea hot, with milk (soya for those who are lactose intolerant), and without sugar, unless they really need it! And they love their biscuits or scones on the side too!
It's always best served in bone china cups because this shows respect to your guests - even if you're just having an afternoon 'cuppa' while watching TV at home by yourself! Everything is better when it's done properly, right?
There are specific types of tea grown in Australia. Australia's climate is perfect for growing tea in Australia and you can find Australian-grown tea all over Australia.
Australia has developed its own types of teas to suit the Australian palate, including green tea, bush tea (a form of wild-growing black or oolong), and white tea. Nerada Tea is a well-known black tea that is grown in the Nerada Valley.
Gunpowder is a green tea grown in Australia. It is made from green gunpowder leaves. Australia is one of the few places in the world where it grows. Yellow tea is made from young tea leaves and flowers picked before they open, known as 'wilga'. Rockmelon & lemon myrtle tea tastes like lemonade with a hint of myrtle bush flavor.
Australia has some amazing teas to discover. They're really proud that their nation can grow such unique flavors at home for everyone to enjoy.
Australia's history of tea is quite short compared to other countries, but Australia has been making a name for itself when it comes to high-quality teas.
Tea has been a part of Australian culture for over two centuries, and it’s still going strong! From British colonists to Asian immigrants, tea is woven into the fabric of their society. Australians drink more than 50 million cups every day – that’s enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool twice each year!
Tea culture in Australia has come a long way since its humble beginnings. They now have their very own unique styles of preparing and drinking what they call 'tea' that is distinctly Aussie! Which Australian tea or tea tradition will you try today?
