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During the neolithic, and before pottery, people could still boil plants. A common method included: Hearth heating with stones
Water was kept in animal skins, wooden bowls, bark containers, and heated stones dropped in to boil.

Direct boiling in pottery occurred after. Around 7000–6000 BCE. During pottery neolithic
It greatly improved plant extraction.

Evidence suggests humans may have used tea leaves medicinally 4,000–5,000 years ago, though direct archaeological proof is much younger.

Humans almost certainly drank plant infusions for tens of thousands of years, but detecting them archaeologically is difficult.

Traditional tea comes from a single species called camellia sinensis. From the family theaceae
Camellia sinensis var. sinensis is from China. There are green, white, and oolong. Camellia sinensis var. assamica is from India or SE Asia. It is black tea, and pu-erh

The plant is native to southwest China, northern Myanmar, and northeast India
Wild tea forests still exist in Yunnan and surrounding areas.

The oldest confirmed tea remains, (as of early 21st century), are from the Warring States period, China. 2400 years ago
Burned tea residue is found in a bowl at Zoucheng, Shandong

Scientists detected: caffeine, plant phytoliths, and organic compounds typical of tea
Identified using chemical and microscopic analysis.

These remains show tea was already consumed by Han-dynasty elites, and traded
Probably along Silk Road and other early trade routes.

Many cultures drank plant infusions unrelated to true tea. They included:
Bark and spice teas: cinnamon bark, ginger root, citrus, mint, sage, willow, licorice root, others;
Flower teas: chamomile, hibiscus, lotus, others;
Mushroom infusions: Ganoderma lucidum (reishi); Inonotus obliquus (chaga), and, others
These uses appear in traditional medicine systems but are rarely preserved archaeologically.

Also, some plant beverages were fermented rather than steeped.

It’s believed teas increased alertness, concentration, and digestion
Many herbs aid digestion or reduce stomach illness.

They were used for rituals

Tea probably dates back a long time. But during the pre-pottery period, evidence is rare because organic containers decay, and residues do not preserve well.

Pottery Neolithic, residues are preserved on: vessel walls, cooking pots, and drinking cups.

Check out neolithic tea. This study has revolutionized ancient beverages.

Bibliography: Lu, H., Zhang, J., Yang, Y. et al. Earliest tea as evidence for one branch of the Silk Road across the Tibetan Plateau. Sci Rep 6, 18955 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep18955

Mair, Victor H., and Hoh, Erling. The True History of Tea. Thames & Hudson, 2009.

Heiss, Mary Lou; Heiss, Robert J. (2007). The Story of Tea : A Cultural History and Drinking Guide. Berkeley, California: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-1-58008-745-2. OCLC 84903908 (https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/84903908)

Chu, Djoing-Chi (1997). “Chapter 1. Green Tea – Its Cultivation, Processing of the Leaves for Drinking Materials, and Kinds of Green Tea”. In Yamamoto, Takehiko; Juneja, Lekh Raj; Chu, Djoing-Chi; Kim, Mujo (eds.). Chemistry and Applications of Green Tea (https://archive.org/details/chemistryapplica0000unse). Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8493-4006-2. OCLC 36648278 (https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/36648278)