British Tea Drinking

The British are the ones who established the way tea is celebrated today with the centuries old custom of afternoon tea. The British either add milk to their tea or every now and then, even add tea to the milk. Using milk first will bring about a wonderful blend of milk and tea, while adding the milk in last will cool the tea and prevent the leaves from being damaged by hot water. Some think that whether or not the milk is added first or last can indicate a person's social class. Working class people would add the milk in first, whereas upper class individuals added their milk in after the tea was poured. It is thought that this happened because lower classes could not afford high quality cups so the milk was added first to prevent the cups from cracking. Whatever the means, it is most amazing to add milk to strong black teas, since it seems to mellow out some of the tannins and give the tea less of a "bite". However with the popularity of lattes, various people like to add milk to all different kinds of teas.

Both high and low teas can be enjoyed for afternoon tea. High tea was once called meat tea and it was the main meal of the day by the British lower classes, eaten with the family after a lengthy workday. On the other hand, low tea was had by the upper class in the afternoon as a snack to fill them up until dinner later in the evening. Low tea was very much a social event to be enjoyed with friends. The distinction between high tea and low tea was also a literal one, based on the kind of table used for serving. High tea would be consumed in a high dining room table, while low tea was served in a sitting room with a lower table such as a coffee table.

For more cool tea fun facts, check out this site.

Moroccan Tea

At a Moroccan restaurant, dessert will oftentimes be served with hot green tea that has been flavored with spearmint and sugar. The preferred Moroccan tea is Chinese gunpowder green, which is traditionally served in a glass. All the utensils such as a silver teapot, a brass hammer for sugar, and silver boxes of tea, mint, and sugar, are set out on a low table before the start of a Moroccan tea ceremony. These ingredients are then steeped in boiling water. Each person has three glasses for the tea. The pot is raised high above the glass while pouring. This is done to oxygenate the tea and create a froth at the top. Each guest is served one of their glasses of tea as the meal goes on. With each glass of tea, water and sugar proceed to be added to the pot but no more tea is added.

Make your own Moroccan Tea

The Origins of Tea: Legends

There is a popular legend about the discovery of tea as a drink that goes all the way back to China in 2700 BC. In the story, the Emperor, Shen Nung, was drinking boiled water. The emperor was concerned about his hygiene so he insisted that his water be boiled if he was to drink it. A tree nearby shed some leaves into his cup which turned the water a deep shade of brown. Instead of being disgusted, the emperor was intrigued and drank it. Shen Nung was an proponent of herbal medicine, so this wasn't the first time he had tasted something made from a plant. He found that after drinking the new "tea" all of the problems he had in his body went away.

The plant that tea comes from is called Camellia Sinesis and it is found in India, China, and Southeast Asia. Even so, outside of China, little was known about how tea could be used till the sixth century.

In another fable, the Indian Prince Bhodidharma, who was known in China as Ta-mo and in Japan as Daruma, traveled from South India to China to teach about Buddhism. The prince had decided that he was going to meditate, sleepless, for nine years. After meditating for 5 years he started to feel drowsy, so he picked leaves from a tree to chew on. He was able to continue his meditation because the leaves were from a tea tree and they gave him the life he needed to go on. Prince Bhodidiharma's used meditation combined with drinking tea to continue to stay alert.

There are so many fascinating stories about the origins of tea.