Simplification

Simplification Simplification is the process of adapting an otherwise complicated

method or system into a simple process where minimum effort is

required to achieve the desired outcome.

A prime example of simplification is that of the humble tea bag. Tea

was first introduced to Britain in the middle of the seventeenth

century and was purchased in the form of loose tea leaves, in a tin,

by the pound. It became the most popular drink in Britain as by the

eighteen hundreds almost all coffee houses sold tea and many more

individuals were having social events centred on tea, known as High or

Low Tea’s. When making tea, the individual would have to put a

teaspoonful of loose tea leaves, per person, into a pot of boiling

water; after the tea was suitably brewed it would be poured into a

cup. The cup however had to have a strainer placed above it when the

tea was being poured, so it would catch the used tea leaves. This made

the process of tea unnecessarily complicated as it took much time and

effort to make the perfect cup of tea.

When tea was first imported and distributed it was done so in tins.

This meant that the tea could be kept and stored at the proper

temperature in a cool environment, but it was also expensive. The high

price of tea in tins meant that it was unreachable for many. Thomas

Sullivan changed all that in 1908.

Thomas Sullivan was a tea importer based in New York City.