It’s no secret that the British love a good cup of tea.
For Brits up and down the country, a nice ‘cuppa’, or cup of tea, is the perfect little boost to kick off our day. On those chilly winter days like we’re suffering through right now, a good quality brew can also provide that extra bit of warmth we need before we tuck in for the night. It’s also important for relaxing on our breaks for work.
In summation, it warms us up when we’re cold, it calms us down, and gives us a great reason to actually talk to each other.
Writing as a Brit myself, there’s also a reason my first instinct when inviting someone into my house is to offer them a cuppa. It’s a fantastic way to break the ice – particularly when, as is typical for British people, you can’t think of what to talk about!
So why is this simple hot drink, made by just pouring hot water over one or two teabags – with milk and sugar if you like – so important to us?
What’s more, why do we care so much that even some people angrily disagree with the order of teabags and hot water I just provided and insist that the teabags must be placed INTO hot water instead?
How Much Tea Do The British Drink?
Well – a lot. Across the nation, we knock back one hundred million cups of tea a day – for a total of thirty-six billion a year. We also favour a particular method of making tea above all others : ninety-six percent of tea in the UK is made using the humble tea bag.
However, we should also remember that Britain is NOT the most tea-drinking nation on the planet : this prize goes to the Republic of Ireland, where the most tea is drunk per capita, and Turkey, where the most tea is drunk by sheer amount!
Where Did Tea Come From?
Tea has a highly international heritage : it was first created more than five thousand years ago in China, where the first book on tea was written by Tea Master (what a title!) Lu Yu in around 800 AD.
China still produces the most tea in the world, with an enormous 2,230,000 tonnes produced in 2015. India is second with 1,191,100 tonnes, Kenya third with 399,210 tonnes.
It has since spread all across the world. Fifty-five countries drink tea to a significant extent across the world, and it was first introduced to Europe by a Portuguese Jesuit, Father Jasper De Cruz, and then imported in large amounts by Dutch traders.
Is Tea Good For You?
Yes – tea is also brimming with healthy materials!
Although you might think it could be bad for your teeth (and the British don’t have the best reputation here) it actually contains fluoride, which can prevent you getting holes in your teeth, and keep them looking white and shiny!
It also contains just half the caffeine that coffee does, and is full of antioxidants : chemicals that help get rid of harmful chemicals in your system! What’s not to like?