TEA: WHO KNEW?

Yay! It's here! A new post! So today I wanted to talk about Tea! I know you're probably going "Why tea?". The reason is because it's so good for you. But you still have to be careful Here is why! First let us read a brief history of tea:

The word Tea comes from the Chinese words “Tchai”, “Cha”, and “Tae”. Tea originated in 2737 B.C. when the Chinese Emperor Shen Nong accidently invented it. Shen Nong was a scholar and herbalist. When he was not busy he was an avid patron of the arts and scientist. He knew that boiling water made the water they drank sanitary. One day leaves from a camellia bush fell into the tea and flavored it. Shen Nong felt the new drink invigorated his body and thus it became a Chinese Medicinal Beverage. It would not be until 300 A.D. until tea became a daily drink. The Western Zhou Dynasty made tea into a religious offering used in their ceremonies.

In the 1500s Sen Nor Rikkyu introduced a Japanese Tea Ceremony to Japan. He called it “Chanoyu” which means “Hot water for Tea” in Japanese. He believed tea embodied harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. A typical Chanoyu ceremony has five steps. Despite having only five steps, the fourth step itself can take up to four hours. The first step is the party receiving the tea from the host is seated waiting in a room until the host is ready to begin the ceremony. The second step is for the guests to walk across the roji which purifies the body. Next they wash their hands and even their mouth. The fourth step, as mentioned before can take up to four hours. During this time the guests and host bow to begin, then eat sweets, and other finger foods. They drink sake and have an intermission. Finally the tea is served during the final step of the ceremony.

In 1600 Queen Elizabeth founded the East India Company to import various things from India. Among them were woven cloths, herbs, and spices. It would not be until 1664 that the first tea would be shipped to England. At first it was only enjoyed by the Aristocracy, but the expanding market eventually made it available to everyone. As history shows, on December 16, 1773, sixty angry colonists in America dumped bounds and pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor Bay. This would later become known as the Boston Tea Party.

In 1904 Richard Blechynden invented the first Iced Tea. It was a hot summer day at the World’s Fair in St. Louis, and Richard he did not want people drinking the tea warm. So he dropped ice cubes into the tea to keep it cold. Finally in 1908 a man by the name of Thomas Sullivan shipped tea samples in bags to the New York area restaurants. The preparers didn’t know to take out the tea from the bags, and thus Tea Bags were born. Since then people have most often prepared their tea this way. Aside from the everyday supermarkets, people all over the world travel a couple times a year to Calcutta, Colombo, and Mombasa for Tea Auctions. The most famous Tea Auctions were first held in London, England from 1679 to the 29th of June of 1998. The first tea auctions were held by the East India Company at their headquarters on Leaden Hall Street. By the 1950s a third of the entire world’s tea was bought through this auction. Tea auctions today remain an important event for Tea connoisseurs.

Today there are over 1,500 types of teas and over 25 countries make tea. The most popular teas are Earl Gray, Lady Gray, English Breakfast, and Irish Breakfast. There are even highly sought after brands like Twinning’s and Celestial Seasonings. No matter whom you are or where you are, tea will always be a part of your life for all occasions.

Now onto more:

Too much tea can be bad for your kidneys. I didn't believe it at first when I heard that either. You should be careful of caffeine intake, so if you switch some of your tea to decaf, you should be fine. Just be sure you're getting at least 60 oz of fluids per day...more if you consume caffeine (as that is a natural diuretic). COFFEE, TEA AND SODA. It's not just the caffeine in these drinks that is hard on the kidneys and joints. Caffeine is not good for you, but it is the tannic acid that damages the kidneys. Another real offender is artificial colored sugar water. Also remember that carbonation is also very hard on the kidneys.

Tea is refreshing, delicious, relaxing, and healthy in moderation. Please drink tea responsibily *wink*.