Literary references to drinking tea trace as far back as before the Han dynasty (202-220). However, it wasn’t until the Tang dynasty that it changed from a rare luxury to widespread custom in China, thanks to the ascendant influence of Buddhism, which generally discouraged the use of intoxicants. In 750, Lu Yu completed the Classic of Tea (Cha Jing), which was the first text devoted to the appreciation of tea, including a comprehensive history, cultivation techniques, preparation methods, and drinking styles. Tea proved to be crucial for the expansion and prosperity of the empire, because its widespread consumption created demand that extended beyond the borders of the country. Production of this valuable commodity transformed formerly barren areas into flourishing plantations in the southern regions of China. This was a development that would prove to be an important source of revenue for the imperial government, especially after it enacted key fiscal reforms that imposed taxes on tea. The taste for tea would spread outward to neighbouring empires or tribes, and with this growing demand, the Tang administrations would barter tea for horses necessary for military trade.
漢代以前已有關於飲茶的文獻紀錄，但飲茶文化真正蔚然成風的時代還是在唐朝開始。公元750年，陸羽完成《茶經》，詳細記述飲茶源流、種茶方式、煮茶技巧、品飲步驟等。唐朝文化廣披四海，唐人飲茶風氣從中原蔓延至邊陲異域，甚至外邦亦開始要求向唐朝換取茶葉。隨著國內外對茶葉需求攀升，茶葉價格不菲，唐朝政府開始專營茶葉，以往被視為山林瘴氣之地的中國南方開始大規模種茶，政府亦開始與西南及西北少數民族以茶馬互市，各取所需。此外，唐代佛教大興，飲茶文化自中唐起亦進入禪林，形成「茶禪」文化，日本茶道精神亦起源於此。
