Did you know that tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world? The first, of course is water.
Here some more interesting facts to mull over whilst you enjoy your brew.
- Until the nineteenth century, solid blocks of tea were used as money in Siberia.
- The Irish drink more tea per head than any nation in the world.
- According to legend, Tea was accidentally invented in 2737 BC when Chinese Emperor Shennong spotted some tea leaves blew into a pot of boiling water and produced a pleasing aroma. Some also claim that Shennong invented the plough.
- By 1800 England alone was consuming 24 million pounds of tea per year. Most tea consumed in England between 1650 and 1850 was green and oolong – not black as you may think.
- Tea first appeared in Europe (Holland) in 1608. From then until about 1850 China, with rare exception, was the sole source of all the tea drunk in the Western World.
- The English East India company held a monopoly on all China tea exports to the British Isles and Americas for two hundred years.
- Just as in 1608, China continues to recognise and exports six categories of tea, green, white, oolong, yellow, red and Puer.
- Tin boxes were too expensive, so New York importer Thomas Sullivan looked for a cheaper way to send his tea samples to clients. Wrapping the tea in gauze “packets” seemed the perfect answer, but his customers were bemused by the new “packaging.” Instead of removing the tea, they dropped it, gauze and all, into boiling water. Without realising it, Sullivan had created the tea bag!
- Tea contains about 50% less caffeine than coffee, making it a great alternative to those that are sensitive to caffeine intake.
- An average of three billion cups of tea are consumed daily worldwide.
