Although tea originated from China, a lot of people associate it primarily with the United Kingdom, since it was the British who helped popularize tea in Europe. As a result, tea drinking became a big part of British culture. It even has its own holiday, National Tea Day, celebrated on April 21.
Contrary to popular misconception, tea wasn’t introduced to Europe by the British; it was Dutch sailors who first brought it to the European continent from China. The earliest known mention of tea by an Englishman was by an agent for the British East India Company in 1615.
English coffeehouses began to serve green tea in the mid-17th century. The new drink was popular mostly among the upper classes and merchants, since it was several times more expensive than coffee, and very few people could afford it. Charles II’s Portuguese bride, Catherine of Braganza, made tea popular as a court beverage, making it an acceptable drink for both ladies and gentlemen.
In 1667, the British East India Company began to import Chinese tea through their agent in Bantam (present-day Indonesia). The first tea shop in London was opened by Thomas Twining in 1706. It still operates today at No. 216, Strand, making it the longest-standing ratepayer in London. Twinings holds a royal warrant, which means it supplies tea to the royal family.
In 1720, the British Parliament banned the import of Asian textiles, and many merchants decided to focus on importing tea instead. By the mid-18th century, tea became the main import of the British East India Company. In addition to importing tea from China, the British began to grow it in India. As a result, tea became more affordable and therefore more popular among the middle class. At certain point, it was more popular than coffee, chocolate, and alcohol.
By the early 19th century, the working class could afford tea as well, and the drink transformed from luxury to commodity. Black tea overtook green tea in popularity, and many people started to drink it with sugar and milk. And so the UK became and still remains one of the biggest tea consumers in the world, with an average annual per capita tea supply of 4.18 lbs.
While the British usually serve tea with milk and sugar, it is not uncommon to drink it with lemon or black. Tea is often accompanied with biscuits (which can be dunked into the tea), scones, crumpets, cake and/or sandwiches.
National Tea Day in the United Kingdom was first observed in 2016. It is celebrated on April 21, coinciding with Queen Elizabeth II’s actual birthday (her official birthday is celebrated on the second Saturday of June).
National Tea Day events are usually organized across the country by tea companies and shops, cafes, restaurants, pubs, tea rooms, hotels, snack providers – in other words, by businesses engaged in producing, selling or making tea. However, with Covid 19 restrictions, some planned events like tea parties, fairs and tastings, where tea lovers can sample and buy new teas, learn the secrets of brewing different kinds of tea, try delicious snacks and desserts, and, of course, have a great time in the company of fellow tea aficionados have had to be altered/amended and in some circumstances postponed. Let us hope 'normal service' can be resumed soon. In the meantime anyone for a cuppa?
Contrary to popular misconception, tea wasn’t introduced to Europe by the British; it was Dutch sailors who first brought it to the European continent from China. The earliest known mention of tea by an Englishman was by an agent for the British East India Company in 1615.
English coffeehouses began to serve green tea in the mid-17th century. The new drink was popular mostly among the upper classes and merchants, since it was several times more expensive than coffee, and very few people could afford it. Charles II’s Portuguese bride, Catherine of Braganza, made tea popular as a court beverage, making it an acceptable drink for both ladies and gentlemen.
In 1667, the British East India Company began to import Chinese tea through their agent in Bantam (present-day Indonesia). The first tea shop in London was opened by Thomas Twining in 1706. It still operates today at No. 216, Strand, making it the longest-standing ratepayer in London. Twinings holds a royal warrant, which means it supplies tea to the royal family.
In 1720, the British Parliament banned the import of Asian textiles, and many merchants decided to focus on importing tea instead. By the mid-18th century, tea became the main import of the British East India Company. In addition to importing tea from China, the British began to grow it in India. As a result, tea became more affordable and therefore more popular among the middle class. At certain point, it was more popular than coffee, chocolate, and alcohol.
By the early 19th century, the working class could afford tea as well, and the drink transformed from luxury to commodity. Black tea overtook green tea in popularity, and many people started to drink it with sugar and milk. And so the UK became and still remains one of the biggest tea consumers in the world, with an average annual per capita tea supply of 4.18 lbs.
While the British usually serve tea with milk and sugar, it is not uncommon to drink it with lemon or black. Tea is often accompanied with biscuits (which can be dunked into the tea), scones, crumpets, cake and/or sandwiches.
National Tea Day in the United Kingdom was first observed in 2016. It is celebrated on April 21, coinciding with Queen Elizabeth II’s actual birthday (her official birthday is celebrated on the second Saturday of June).
National Tea Day events are usually organized across the country by tea companies and shops, cafes, restaurants, pubs, tea rooms, hotels, snack providers – in other words, by businesses engaged in producing, selling or making tea. However, with Covid 19 restrictions, some planned events like tea parties, fairs and tastings, where tea lovers can sample and buy new teas, learn the secrets of brewing different kinds of tea, try delicious snacks and desserts, and, of course, have a great time in the company of fellow tea aficionados have had to be altered/amended and in some circumstances postponed. Let us hope 'normal service' can be resumed soon. In the meantime anyone for a cuppa?
Tea-making is an art form, here's a guide to making the perfect cup
Can I offer you a biscuit?
How about a Low Carb Chocolate Cookie / Biscuit, see more details here
Please note, not all recipe suggestions may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.
All the best Jan
38 comments:
Me gusto conocer más sobre el té ami me gusto con un poco de limón y azúcar de dieta. Te mando un beso
I'm not much of a tea drinker in general, just some good southern sweet iced tea for me please. :)
Nice post about tea - and how could you forget;) !!
I love tea! We drink it iced here in the land of eternal sunshine, and I'd have taken it in the bottle if it had been offered.
...tea isn't my thing!
You might have missed the day but I am quite certain that you honoured it by having, and enjoying probably several cups of tea.
Thanks for sharing this.
I like red teas a lot.
Coffee is on and stay safe
I'm not a coffee drinker and start my mornings with tea!
oh wow I missed Tea day too-enjoyed your post
Thanks for this great and interesting post about the tea. I also like to drink tea but not black tea and my darling drinks cough tea from a farmer on site with self-cultivated and selected herbs for his chronic bronchities
Sometimes I miss sitting on the beach promenade of the North Sea coast and drinking tea!
Have a good time, greeting Elke
I don't think I have seen anything promoting a tea day! Can't imagine life without my cup of tea - I get through about 8 a day!
Glad you enjoy your tea, but I'll stick to my coffee! Have agreat weekend, Valerie
You'll have to have an extra cup today for missing National Tea Day.
Oh NO you missed Tea day, love my cuppaxx
I didn't know there was a tea day. I missed it too. I really enjoy a good cup of tea, but I like mine black. Have a great weekend.
I love the rituals around tea.
Interesting. When my friend, Kaz from OZ, came up over, she brewed tea in a pot, but it involved winding the pot.
Great post,Jan. Hugs and blessings.
Well, I missed tea day, too! But then every day can be tea day when you love to drink tea! this is a really interesting post, Jan. And I like the tea-making graphic, too!
I'm also a tea drinker though I don't care for green or (gods forbid) white tea. And, I like loose leaves which is harder to find here in my part of TX.
We drink tea, and like most people these days it seems, we have a range of different types, but I have to say it is not my favourite drink. If I never had tea again it wouldn't bother me. But coffee....that's a whole other story!
I drink tea most days, at least 2 cups at work and then at night before going to bed I will have a herbal tea.
My teas are very light, I just dunk the bag and take it out, no sugar and no milk either.
Muy interesante, no sabía nada del día del té. Besos.
I loved this post! ❤️
Me gusta el té Eddie, pero reconozco que soy más de café, solo y sin azucar. Gracias por tan buena infornacion.
Buen fin de semana. Cuidaros.
Un abrazo.
I try to do these food holidays and we saw this one in time to have a cup of tea together. Teabag tea, but still ;)
Tea also has unique history when came to US, and the familiar history is the Boston Tea :)
Have a great weekend!
Lots of interesting facts about tea, I didn't know there was a tea day so I missed it too. Life would be quite miserable without a nice cuppa. 😊
I have it most days, with sugar.
Nice to read all the tea facts. I don't drink it every day but do enjoy a cup of tea. No milk for me but I do like a teaspoon of sugar.
I have never drank hot tea...but Roger likes it every now and then. I should try some different kinds just to see if I might like it.
I used to think it was strange to drink tea with milk and sugar since we only drank green tea at home. However, when we went to England and tried it, we discovered we really liked it a lot. Then we came home and it just didn't taste the same. I'm sure we were using the wrong tea.
I like tea but it doesn't like me. However, I always have different teas on hand for company. Well, you know when we could have company. LOL
I know I'm late visiting, but I'm hopefully well enough by now to sit through a few blog posts. My grandmother was British, and she always had a break in the afternoon for a cup of coffee. For some reason, she was not much for drinking tea. Looks like the apple didn't fall far from the tree. In fact, she got me hooked on caffeine when I was in high school. She wanted me to drink milk, so she poured a bit of coffee in it. As time went by, the amount of coffee proportional to the milk increased. I won't turn down a cup of tea, but I certainly don't drink it with milk. And now I know the date it is celebrated, too. On Her Majesty's birthday.
I love tea too! I have it everyday! Great post! Big Hugs!
We could never miss a day without tea. Even in Spain and Greece, we make sure to never miss our cup of tea. We also have a cup of milky coffee every day, without fail. We like a drop of alcohol too but that's another story.
I have a pot of tea every morning on my breakfast tray, Jan. No coffee for me!
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