Tea came to Europe by 2 routes - to Western Europe from about 1610 through the territory of present-day Indonesia brought tea leaves of the Chinese bush te, English tea, German. der Tee - the Dutch. To Russia, on the other hand, through the steppes of Mongolia and southern Siberia, the merchant Storkov in 1618 brought the leaves, called by the Beijing Mandarins chha, hence the Russian chai.
The history of tea is inextricably linked with the history of social and cultural development of many countries. In many countries it is not only a daily beverage, but the ceremonial associated with brewing and serving tea is a significant part of the culture.