Tea’s Emergence in Europe

One background for the acceptance of tea in Europe was the inability to drink raw water. Due to long rivers and hard water, there were few areas in Europe where raw water could be consumed. Thus, milk and alcoholic beverages (such as wine, beer, etc.) have been consumed since ancient times. Milk can only be stored for about a day even if heated, so reliance on alcoholic beverages was a concern, leading to a decrease in labor productivity due to intoxication. With the introduction of attractive tea from Asia, it began to spread to the general public.