The story of tea began about 5,000 years ago in ancient China. According to legend, the Shen Nong, an early emperor was a skilled ruler, creative scientist and patron of the arts. One summer day, while traveling, he and the court stopped to rest and the servants began to boil water to drink. Dried leaves from the near by bush fell into the boiling water, and a liquid became brown. Being scientist, the Emperor was interested in the new liquid, tasted some, and found it very refreshing. And so, tea was created.

From the earliest times tea was renowned for its properties as a healthy, refreshing drink. The modern term "tea" derives from early Chinese dialect words - such as Tchai, Cha and Tay - used both to describe the beverage and the leaf. Known as Camellia sinensis, tea is an evergreen plant of the Camellia family. It has smooth, shiny pointed leaves, which look similar to the privet hedge leaf found in British gardens.

Very early tea cups had no handles, being originally imported from China where such cups traditionally had no handles. So as tea drinking gained popularity, so did the demand for more British-style tea ware. This fuelled the rapid growth of the English pottery and porcelain industry, which soon became world famous. Most factories making tea ware were located in the Midlands area, which became known as "The Potteries".