We’ve had a lot to celebrate in 2016. We’ve had the Queens 90th, and Prince Phillips 95th birthdays and the humble bikini turned 70 on the 5th July. But that’s not all we Brit’s have to celebrate. This year our favourite drink will be 385 years old. Yes TEA!
It is still Britain’s favourite drink, even with all those coffee shops sprouting up everywhere. According to the UKs Tea & Infusions Association we drink “165 million cups daily.” They say “thenumber of cups of coffee drunk each day is estimated at 70 million.” Their website has some fascinating facts about tea for example we’ve all been told that tea and green tea contain antioxidants but: –
“Does tea contain antioxidants?
Tea like fruit and vegetables is a natural source of polyphenols and flavonoids which have antioxidant activity?”
So “What is an antioxidant?
An antioxidant is a compound, which retards oxidation. In the body antioxidants can soak up free radicals.”
Next question “What is a free radical?
Free radicals are unstable substances which can disrupt biochemical processes in the body and have been implicated in cancer and heart disease”
https://www.tea.co.uk/tea-faqs
They also have a counter which tell you how many cups of tea have been drunk so far that day in the UK (not sure we want to know how they know we have had a cup of tea?).
So what is it that we Brit’s love about tea? We couldn’t put it any better than William Ewart Gladstone who penned this poem about tea.
If you are cold, tea will warm you
If you are heated, it will cool you
If you are depressed, it will cheer you
If you are excited, it will calm you.
Yep whatever the problem it can be solved with or over a cup of tea. Here are some interesting facts for you, tea bags were invented by accident:
“In around 1908, Thomas Sullivan, a New York tea merchant, started to send samples of tea to his customers in small silken bags. Some assumed that these were supposed to be used in the same way as the metal infusers, by putting the entire bag into the pot, rather than emptying out the contents.”
Black and green tea comes from the same plant, “it’s known by its botanical name Camellia sinensis”
Tea is also a very sociable drink we love to sit around the table having a good gossip around the table with family. We still have tea breaks at work and who of us wouldn’t want to have afternoon tea at the Ritz or Betty’s tearoom Harrogate.
Why don’t you stop what you’re doing and put the kettle on, it’s time for a Tea break… That’s what we’re going to do 🙂
