Tomorrow is International Tea Day

While I am not a big fan of hot tea, I do enjoy iced blueberry, green tea all year long, so a day to celebrate tea sounds like a good idea to me. Tea, of course has been around for a very long time, so a great way to celebrate tomorrow - along with drinking some tasty tea - is to learn some interesting facts about tea - did you know . . . 

• The main types include black, green, white, herbal, oolong, and pu’erh. 
• Legend has it that tea was first discovered over 4000 years ago in China by Emperor Nun Shen. On one of his visits to a remote region, the leaves of a nearby tree blew into a pot of boiling water which his servants had placed over a fire. The refreshing aroma invited the Emperor to taste the beverage, and the first cup of tea was born.
• In 350 AD A Chinese dictionary mentions tea for the first time with the name ‘Erh Ya.’
• In the 16th century, tea made its way across the globe to Europe by Dutch traders, where it became a widely traded commodity thanks to the establishment of the East India Company in England.
• Grown in over 35 countries, the cultivation of tea supports the livelihoods of over 13 million people.
• In 1876 Thomas Lipton opened his first tea shop in Glasgow.
• According to tea.co.uk, approximately 100 million cups of tea are consumed by British people on a daily basis.
• You’d think that the British consume the most tea, but it is actually the people of Turkey who drink more than anyone else.
• With over 20,000 different varieties of tea around the world, it is truly amazing that the actual tea plant from which the leaves are derived from - Camellia sinensis, has only 6 varieties.
• At $1.2 million per kilogram, China’s ‘The Big Red Robe’ is the most expensive tea in the world.
• In 1908, an accident involving samples of tea packed into silk bags led to the creation of the first tea-bags.
• Tea is associated with a lower risk of many ailments, including cognitive issues, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and more.
• Not only is tea hydrating and tasty, making it a good alternative to water, but the available nutrients and minerals can contribute to your overall health.
• Black tea contains theaflavins and antioxidants, which have health benefits for your body. One study found they help alleviate high cholesterol when consumed in your diet.
• Green and black teas also contain important polyphenols, which are micronutrients which are found in plant-based foods. The polyphenols found in these types of tea have been associated with the healthy regulation of cancer cell growth and survival, leading to a lower risk of developing cancer.

You will find more information about tea at this link and this link. My favorite way to fix tea is to use my iced tea maker and add 10 teaspoons of loose leaf gunpowder green tea with 1/2 cup blueberries and let it seep until it is ready - tea tastiness and very healthy, too!