National Tea Day’s slogan is “Brew More. Do More.”
The goal of National Tea Day is to inspire the world to drink more tea and to drink it all year long. It is relatively common knowledge that we have the Chinese to thank for tea. Still, we can’t help but immediately associate the beverage with the famous British afternoon teas served in establishments like the Ritz Carleton in London.
Lipton is the most widely consumed brand of tea in the US. Their first packaging plant in the US opened in the early 1900s. The yellow and red Lipton label is instantly recognizable in every diner and supermarket shelf in America. In Britain, Yorkshire tea is widely considered the most popular type. (Miranda is especially fond of Taylor’s of Harrogate Yorkshire Gold, which she orders in massive boxes online). Tetley is the second most widely sold tea in the world.
It was an American merchant, Thomas Sullivan, who accidentally invented tea bags around 1908. He sent tea samples to customers in small silk bags. Since his customers were already accustomed to using metal tea infusers, they assumed they were supposed to dip the tea, bag and all, into the hot water. Turns out this was a great idea! (We are aware tea purists may disagree.)
The blends of tea are endless. Black tea accounts for about 75% of worldwide tea consumption, green tea is more popular in China and Japan. There is also white tea. The differences have to do with how the leaf is processed. Black and green tea also have heart healthy benefits.
Those who travel to the southern states in the US should know that they like their tea iced there, and so sweet it’ll make your teeth hurt. The proper way to make southern sweet tea is to sweeten the whole batch while hot.
Today we bring you three sapphic books with tea in the title.
