10 Interesting Facts About Tea
There’s nothing more British than a nice cup of tea. We here at Heart Britain are partial to a cup of the hot stuff every now and then – that’s why we’re offering 10 interesting facts about tea.
1. UK Tea Consumption
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Tea puts the great in Great Britain, if you ask us. There is nothing a good cup of tea can’t solve. Even Winston Churchill once said that tea was an important part as ammunition during the Second World War. It’s seem like we either all love tea or we have a heck of a lot of problems, as the UK consumes 165 million cups of tea each day, which is 62 billion cups per year. Sheesh!
2. The Nation of Tea Drinkers
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What’s the largest nation of tea drinkers? Britain, right? Wrong. Surprisingly, it’s Ireland. Great Britain is second.
3. Most Widely Consumed Drink
After water, tea is the most widely consumed drink in the world, with different countries enjoying different varieties. Britain might be partial to a teabag, water and milk, but countries such as Iran and Afghanistan enjoy a green tea or black tea – with lots of sugar.
There are six categories of tea: white, yellow, green, oolong, black and post-fermented.
4. Tea Plants
A lot of time and effort goes into a humble teabag. It can take between four to 12 years for a tea plant to produce a see – and will take three years before a new tea plant is even ready to harvest.
5. Cold Tea
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Suffering from sunburn? Rub some cold tea onto the injured area. It will take away the sting. Not only that, but brunettes can rinse their hair in cold tea for a shiny hairdo.
6. Tea vs. Coffee
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A cup of tea reportedly contains half the caffeine of a cup of coffee. If you want to decaffeinate the teabags even further, you can rinse loose tea at home. Simply remove the tea and remove the leaves after 20 seconds. Throw away the brew and add in the decaffeinated tea leaves.
7. Tea Smuggling
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Tea wasn’t always a popular drink. Hard to believe, we know! Although it arrived in England in 1657, it was not an instant hit. It was only sold in coffee houses and was subject to heavy taxes. It was often illegally smuggled into the country, as well as altered and even fought over.
Smugglers would mix green tea with other types of tea leaves and additives. Many of the additives were also poisonous, which is the reason why the British government lowered the taxes on tea in 1785, so tea was more affordable for the public.
9. The Coffee Houses
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When tea was primarily sold in English coffee houses, only men were allowed to enter for a cup, as they were filled with noise and smoke. It wasn’t until 1717, when the Twining family opened the Golden Lyon teashop, that women were allowed to enter the shop. You can still visit the shop today, as well as buy their tea in stores.
10. 18th Century Tea Sets
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Tea brings people together – which is why in the 18th century people bought tea sets with numbered spoons, as it helped the host remember what guest needed a refill. How refined!
What goes nice with a cup of tea? Cake! So check out 10 Exceedingly Good Great British Bake Off Facts.
