January is National Hot Tea Month, so let’s take a look at some fun facts about one of our favorite beverages:
- No one knows for certain when tea was first discovered. One Chinese legend has it that tea was discovered in 2732 BC.
- One pound of tea contains 2,000 tea leaves. You can make about 181 cups of tea with just one pound.
- 42 percent of the world’s tea comes from China, and 20 percent comes from India. Tea is also produced in Kenya, Argentina, and Sri Lanka.
- A tea tree can grow up to 52 feet high, if you don’t harvest its leaves. Trees that are harvested may only grow to height of 3 feet.
- Tea bags became popular in 1908 and it was by accident. Thomas Sullivan, a New York tea merchant, sent samples of tea to his customers in small silken bags. Thomas had intended for them to take the tea out of the bag, but some found it easier to just place the entire bag into their teapot.
- The first tea bag packing machine was invented in 1929, by Adolf Rambold.
- Adding milk to tea didn’t originate because of taste. They would put milk in the cups first so the heat from the tea wouldn’t crack their porcelain cups. Today in the U.K., 93% still drink tea with milk.
In the 17th century, scientists thought that tea was bad for your health. This was mostly due to an article published in 1706, by a French doctor. He said that hot liquors and hot caffeinated beverages were dangerous because they would cause heat inside the body, which may lead to death. You know, I wonder what this doctor would say today if he looked down from heaven and saw a Starbucks on every street corner?
