: Does anybody know anything about the history of tea-drinking. Was herb tea commonly drunk before trade routes to the East were opened? I suppose it must have been, but have no evidence to support this. I don't remeber ever coming across any mediaevil tea-cups....

: can anybody help.

: But of course, even if such things didn't exist, that doesn't imply they shouldn't have done in Middle-earth

The brewing of bark, leaves, flowers, buds and roots of plants into a tea has existed for thousands of years. The brewing and drinking of these "teas" was normally done for medicinal or religious purposes.