What Prompted The Beginning Of British Tea Time?

The perfect time for a cup of tea is National Hot Tea Day, on January 12 every year. Tea has been in our cups since as far back as the 2nd century B.C. Originating in China, tea has become the second most consumed beverage in the world, after water. This delicious blend of spices energizes, detoxifies, relaxes, and does so much more.

• 2737 BC – Tea leaves fall into a pot of water being boiled for Chinese emperor Shen Nung.
• 59 BC – The Han dynasty work, “The Contract for a Youth,” contains the first known reference to boiling tea.
• 1607 – The first shipment of tea to Europe is recorded by the Dutch East India Company.
• 1657 – Tea was sold in a coffee house in London in 1657, Samuel Pepys tasted tea in 1660, and Catherine of Braganza took the tea-drinking habit to the English court when she married Charles II in 1662.
• 1773 – The Sons of Liberty destroy an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company, in opposition to the violation of rights in the Townshend Act.
• 1785 – Tea smuggling during the 18th century made tea accessible to the public. The British government removed the tax on tea, thereby eliminating the smuggling trade, in 1785.
• 1901 – two women filed the patent for a tea-leaf holder. Seven years later, an American importer reportedly began selling silk pouches containing samples of his latest teas. While he didn’t intend for it to happen, customers started dunking them straight into the water.
• Tea contains multiple health benefits, some of which include improved digestion, deoxidants, reduced stress, and pain relief.
• The ideal temperature for your tea is below 150° F (65° C).
• The ideal brewing temperature for Green and white teas requires water between 175 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit, while the strongest variety, black, needs boiling water of 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
• The colder something is, the harder it is for taste buds to pick up on the subtleties of the flavor. Science agrees that hot tea is better.
• All tea — be it black, green, oolong, white, or yellow — comes from the same plant, the Camellia sinensis. Of course, this excludes herbal teas and tisanes, which are technically not “true” teas but are permitted to live in the tea universe
• It’s estimated that three billion cups of tea are consumed globally per day. Considering there are just shy of eight billion people in the world, that’s a pretty high ratio.
• There are over 3000 varieties of tea.
• In 2020, global tea consumption topped 6.3 billion kilograms (nearly 14 million pounds).
• The global tea industry was estimated to be worth $207.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2020; it is forecasted to be worth $266.7 billion by 2025.
• Panda dung tea is made using panda poo as an eco-friendly fertilizer. This method is said to retain more nutrients than non-panda-poo-fertilized tea and to yield a tea that’s fragrant and smooth.  However, consuming panda poo comes at a cost. It is among the world’s most expensive teas, with about 16 cups worth fetching roughly $3500.
• Some herbal teas contain caffeine.
  • Yerba mate, a South American tea that’s made from a member of the holly family.
  • Yaupon tea, also called cassina, is from the same family of holly.
  • Coffee berry tea. This tea is made from the dried skins of coffee berries
• British Tea Time began because of a hungry lady. In 1840, Anna Russel, the Duchess of Bedford, found herself languishing every afternoon between lunch and dinner. So she dreamed up a light meal with tea that could double as a social affair.
• 84% of the tea consumed in America is black tea — of that, 75-85% of the tea is served as iced tea.
• Most Americans refer to fancy tea as “high tea.” But they’re wrong. The term “high tea” originated to refer to the height of the tables served — bar tables.
• Aside from water, tea is the most popular drink in the world.
• The art of reading tea leaves is called tasseography.
• Queen Anne drank tea so regularly that she substituted a large bell-shaped silver teapot for the tiny Chinese teapots. The earliest tea service dates from her reign.
•  Tea cups didn’t always have handles. At first, the English made cups without handles, influenced by the traditional Chinese tea bowls.
• There may be an easy way to save your pearly whites from tea stains. In a study published in the International Journal of Dental Hygiene, adding a splash of milk was found to be surprisingly effective in preventing them.
• Technically, you should pour the milk in first. While this is a hotly debated topic, it turns out that pouring the milk into the mug first may have scientific benefits. According to a study by Dr. Stapley of Loughborough University, adding the milk after the tea heats it unevenly takes away the flavor.
• Don’t toss those old bags! Some gardening experts believe that watering plants with weak tea fertilizes the soil. Or. use them to degrease dirty pots and pans: Soak dishes in warm water with a couple of tea bags and watch previously stuck-on food slide off with the swipe of a sponge.
• Medical studies show that green tea may help kill oral cancer cells, improve brain scans in cancer patients, and ward off prostate cancer.
• Tea contains a special amino acid called L-theanine which, research suggests, may help you focus and relax your mind without making you feel drowsy.
• It takes about 2,000 small leaves to make one pound of tea.
• Tea contains only a few calories per cup. It’s everything that’s added afterward, such as sugar, that’s less healthy.
• Earl Grey tea was named after an actual man named Earl Grey. Born in 1764, “he reputedly received a gift, probably a diplomatic present, of tea that was flavored with bergamot oil. It became so popular that he asked British tea merchants to recreate it.”
• Don’t let extra tea bags go to waste. Steep them as you normally would, allow them to cool, and place them on your eyelids. The antioxidants help lessen inflammation, reduce puffiness, and tighten skin. It’s why you’ll often find tea in skincare products like lotions and face masks.

Sources: 

National Today

Big Heart Tea

Royal Museums Greenwich

Country Living