From Medicine to Popular Beverage: The Spread of Singlo Tea in Europe from the Seventeenth to the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

Singlo tea was not only highly sought after in China but also gained substantial popularity in Europe during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. From European primary sources spanning the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the popularity of Singlo tea in Europe may have been attributed to the fascination with exotic fashions and products, as well as its medicinal properties. As a result of its popularity, Singlo became known as standard green tea. This kind of tea was eventually replaced by green and black teas of other varieties. Based on the case study of Singlo, this essay indicated that Europeans showed more interest in green tea than in black tea in the early period of Sino-European tea trade. However, Singlo was eventually replaced by other kinds of green and black tea. Its decline in European markets also marked the beginning of black tea’s gradual dominance in the Sino-European tea trade. The spread history of Singlo tea in Europe showed how medicine and commerce interacted. It provided an opportunity to learn about Chinese medicine and culture from a foreign perspective.