prune stronger plantations lemon rain tastes leaves

1. People grow tea plants on .

2. Tea pickers choose the smallest, youngest from each tea

plant.

1. Tea plants need lots of but not too much sun.

2. Tea pickers tea plants.

3. Some people like in their tea.

4. Different tea plants have different .

5. Black tea is than green tea.

People have grown tea in China for thousands of years. About 1,500 years ago tea was brought to Japan. At first only monks drank tea. About 700 years later, tea became a popular drink in Japan. Tea did not arrive in Europe and North America until about 300 years ago. When people in Europe and North America first tasted tea, they liked it and wanted to drink it every day Therefore, tea sellers bought tea in Asia. Then they brought it many thousands of kilometres to Europe and America, and sold it to their customers

there.

There were no aeroplanes 300 years ago, therefore tea sellers used tea clippers - beautiful, fast sailing ships - to bring tea to Europe and America. Many tea sellers became rich, but sometimes a tea clipper sank. Then the tea seller lost all his money.

Sometimes the tea clippers had races. Every year, the new tea was picked and dried and then put into boxes in Asia. Then each tea seller tried to bring the tea to his customers before the others. The winner always got the most money for the tea.

Tea was very expensive for a long time. Poor people did not have the money'to buy tea. Rich people used to keep their tea in a strong box called a tea-caddy. They locked the box with a key The lady of the house used to open the box every morning. She gave the servants enough tea for one day. Then she closed the box again and locked it. Today, tea is cheap and everybody can drink it.