World Meets Chinese Tea Culture | Portugal – one of the earliest European envoys of Chinese tea

In China, tea can be seen everywhere. There are many different types of tea in the country, with different processing techniques of the camellia sinensis' leaves.

The Chinese devotion to tea is not limited to the beverage itself, but encompasses all objects and ambience related to its consumption, ranging from the utensils to ceramic, glass, or porcelain teapots, each giving the brew a distinctive hue.

Not many people know that Portugal was in fact one of the first European countries to come into contact with tea and help introduce it to other regions.

In the Azores Islands in Portugal lies the oldest tea factory in Europe. The tea factory still uses the methods it learned more than 100 years ago from China to plant tea trees and process tea.

Drinking tea is a window into the Chinese culture and people.