10 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT TEA

Tea plants need at least 50 inches of rain a year.

The United Kingdom drinks about 165 million cups of tea a day, or 62 billion cups per year

Most of the world’s tea is grown in mountain areas 3,000-7,000 feet above sea level and between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Tea-producing countries include Argentina, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya Malawi, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania.

Boodles jewelers made a handcrafted diamond teabag worth $15,250. As the most expensive teabag in the world, it contains 280 diamonds and is being used to raise money for a children’s charity in Manchester, England.

The most expensive tea in the world is a rare Chinese tea called Tieguanyin, which is around $1,500/lb. The tea is named after the Buddhist deity Guan Yin (Iron Goddess of Mercy). It is an oolong tea.

More than 200 cups of tea can be brewed from one pound of loose tea leaves

One of Queen Victoria’s ladies in waiting, the Duchess of Bedford, is usually credited with the idea of “English Afternoon Tea.” The British invented two kinds of afternoon tea: “Low tea,” or afternoon tea served on a low “tea table,” and “high tea,” which is served on a “high” dining room table

When tea is being poured in China, guests tap two or three fingers on the table three times to show gratitude to the server

At one time in the late 18th century, tea in Britain was predominantly imported through illegal methods. Smugglers would often mix tea (most often green tea) with other types of leaves and additives to increase their profits. Often these additives were poisonous. The British government intervened in 1785 and lowered taxes, which made tea more affordable and wiped out illegal smuggling activity

Solid blocks of tea were used as money in Siberia until the 19th century.