Did You Know – Tea
Tea bags were first developed in America around 1908 by Thomas Sullivan. He was a New York tea merchant that started to send samples of his tea to his customers in small silken bags. Some of his customers thought they were supposed to use the silken bag in place of the metal infusers by putting the entire bag into the pot instead of emptying out the tea. It was by accident the tea bag was born.
His customers commented to him that the mesh on the silk was too fine, so Sullivan developed sachets of gauze. During the 1920s tea bags were developed commercially. First they were made from gauze and later out of paper. They came in two sizes, one for a larger pot and one for a cup. A string with a decorated tag at the end was added so you could remove the tea bag easily.
Here are some more interesting facts about tea.
- Tea grows best in regions which enjoy a warm, humid climate with a rainfall measuring at least 100 centimetres a year.
- All true tea is made with leaves harvested from a single plant species called Camellia sinensis.
- Growers keep the tea plant in the early stage of growth with constant pruning and pick only two leaves and a bud from the tops of the plants.
- Growing tea from seed is a lengthy process, and it can take two to three years of growing before the leaves are ready to harvest.
- Both green and black tea are made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. The key difference between the two is that black tea is oxidized and green tea is not. To make black tea, the leaves are first rolled and then exposed to air to trigger the oxidation process.
- Green tea typically contains less caffeine than black tea. Green tea is thought to be healthier than black tea because it has a higher number of beneficial compounds. But both teas have been linked to health benefits.
- The Camellia sinensis plant can be grown in your garden if you live in a warm climate (zone 8 or warmer), or in a container in your home if you live in a cooler area. However, it takes three years before you can start harvesting leaves to make tea.
- There are 4 main varieties of tea: White Tea, Green Tea, Oolong Tea, and Black Tea. Black tea is historically the most common in the western world, but green tea is rapidly gaining lost ground.
- Tea is undoubtedly good for your blood pressure, cholesterol, stress levels, mental health and productivity.
- Tea is usually best when used within one day, but good for three or even four days. After that the flavor can get weird and, if you’ve added sugar or fruit to the tea, it can even start to ferment.
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Categories: Did You Know, Drinks/Smoothies
fascinating history! i love how all the facts are gathered together here.
Thank you!
Great info. Thanks for posting. I believe oolong tea is red. Did you know the colors of tea depend when the leaves are harvested. The leaves bloom white change to red than green. The green leaves are the ones that are oxidized and turn black.
Wow I needed this information before I wrote my post!!!! That is so nice to know Randy, thank you!
You’re welcome
Thank you for reposting on your site!
These posts are always interesting and informative
Thank you so much Sheree!
Thanks for spilling the T on tea!
Good one and your welcome!
Interesting facts about tea, Diane. I personally enjoy a warm sugarless cuppa. It’s stimulating, refreshing. Here in Kenya, we grow tea as a cash crop. I’m glad to be able to read you again.
Thank you Lamittan! Your website is looking good, you need to add a comments to your posts.
I’m grateful for this elevating compliment. If you scroll below the intrusions that come below the post, you’ll see the comments and the comment box. The theme I’m using is has it that way, and now I’m even worried people won’t be able to comment. I’ll see what to do about it, dear. Thanks for raising this concern.
You’re welcome!
Interesting tidbit, Diane! Didn’t know this story and it now makes sense how this accidental discovery and invention came to be.
Thank you Ab!
That’s so interesting, I never knew (or thought about) that!
My husband makes his own tea and drinks it all day long. I am a coffee drinker when I wake up but love tea too.
Interesting facts, thanks Diane !
You’re welcome! đŸ¥°
Learned a lot today! Love this post, DianeđŸ’œ
I’m so glad Jonetta, thank you!
Isn’t it funny how many things are invented accidentally?
It sure is!
I am a tea drinker. To begin with, I’m a Southerner and you know how we love a nice tall glass of sweet tea on ice. Nothing will cool you off faster on a hot summer day. But I learned to drink iced tea unsweetened as well when I was on one of the hundred diets I’ve been on in my life. But my absolute favorite tea is hot and black and with milk. To be specific I really prefer Assam tea but finding one requires a visit to a tea shop. Mostly I drink PG Tips Extra Strong which I discovered in London but it is widely available here in the US. I think I might have turned into a bit of tea snob – seeing as how I have a tea bag holder in my purse so that I can drink my own variety when a restaurant only carries one variety – and it’s usually Lipton. đŸ˜‰
I never ordered tea in the south, after the first time ordering it, because I like black tea. I found it so strange that nobody had unsweetened tea. đŸ¤£ I had to laugh at you being a tea snob!
I love these tea facts ~ I drink 1-2 cups a day. Cheers!
My husband drinks a half gallon a day. Lol Thank you Christy!
I never knew this … excellent information! Thanks for sharing, Diane <3 !!
You’re welcome!
Interesting stuff, Diane. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you!
Fun post–especially the history of the tea bag. That was a fortuitous “accident.”
Thank you Linda!
Didn’t know that about tea bags and I thought they were around longer than that – I never thought about using loose tea, which many people use. Thanks for the facts – they were interesting Diane.
I only had loose tea one time Linda. We had a girls night out at work and went to a tea reader for fun. We drank a cup of tea with loose tea leaves and when we were done the tea reader looked in our cup at the position of the leaves and told us what it meant. Lol
A tea leaves reading is fun – were they accurate Diane?
It was back in the 70’s, who knows! đŸ¤£
That is interesting. We drik a quart a day (iced of course, without sugar)
That is the only way! I remember going south years ago and finding out you could only order sweet tea! I had water after that! Lol
I love 1 – 2 cups of tea a day and I really appreciated this history/background on tea!
You’re welcome!
I always learn something from your posts! Very interesting!
Thank you Janet! I really enjoy sharing information about food.
Thanks, Diane. Lots of great info here that I didn’t know. I think most of my tea is not fresh, but I still enjoy it.
You’re welcome Carla! We use tea bags to make our tea.
Ah, the wonder world of tea! I love tea, especially Rooibos tea that is produced here in South Africa.
Here’s a fun fact about Rooibos tea: When my brother and I were babies and our parents drove far with us, my mother would always, when we got home, bathe us in water in which Rooibos tea bags were soaked. This seemed to relax our tired baby bodies. That’s why I’ve always said that tea is good in any form!
That is so cleaver! I know they put cool, wet tea bags on the eyes to help reduce the puffiness under the eyes too.
The tea bag was a great invention. No doubt about it.
Yes, great for puffy eyes too! đŸ¤£