Tea Facts...be in the know!

So today I thought I should pump you all with some good warm, wholesome Tea knowledge. What did you think I was going to teach you? Sex Ed? Common!

I recently created an account with Adagio Tea and joined in on their TeaChat they offer to the online Tea Community. However even better I learnt they also have a section that you can learn and eventually test yourself on Tea Knowledge. Having passed my first chapter in Tea Basics, moving to Intermediate, I feel like I can actually inform other of some information that may not have known before.

Yes Ma'am - That's Right! I am one step closer to becoming a "real" professional sipper! Apparently in my world my professional sipping qualifications don't quite stand up to much in the Tea Industry. When the Tea Sommelier Class finally shows face in Vancouver - Ill be all over it like an Electric Shaver to Donald Trumps Head!

Soak it all up readers....here are some fun facts to bring to your next Tea Party an If a Tea Party just isn't the way you roll, then here are some Tea Facts that you can throw in the faces of Coffee Drinkers - Ha Ha! Only Kidding my Coffee Friends!!!

If the Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino and me were any closer, I'd for sure have to enroll my first born "puccino" into CA (Caffeine Anonymous)!

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Drum Roll....and the Top 2 Beverages are!
Tea is the second-most consumed drink in the world, surpassed only by water.


Where does Tea come from?
Black, Green, Oolong, White Tea all come from the same plant, The Camellia Sinensis Plant.


If it's not Tea, what is it?
Chamomile, Rooibos and Fruit Teas are not Tea's at all and are more accurately called Herbal Tea or Tisanes (Tee-zan)


Tea Liquor? I'll take a shot!
The three primary components of brewed tea, also called the "liquor" are the following: 
Essential Oils - these provide tea's delicious aromas and flavors
Polyphenols - these provide the "briskness" or astringency in the mouth and are the components that also carry most of the health benefits of tea.
Caffeine - found naturally in coffee, chocolate, tea and Yerba Mate, caffeine provides tea's natural energy boost.


Caffeine Myth Buster!
Caffeine; who contains more of it, Coffee or Tea. While this is true when measuring Coffee and Tea in its dry form, this is false when being comparing after its brewed. We normally use 2 grams of Tea per 6 ounce cup, and 10 grams of Coffee for the same quantity of water. A widely cited 2004 British study looked at 200 cups prepared by consumers going about their normal brewing routines. It found that the average Caffeine level in the cups of Tea (Black English style Teas) was 40mg vs 105mg in the average cup of drip Coffee.


Tea's Health Benefits!
L-theanine, an amino acid found only in tea, has a relaxing effect that counteracts the jitteriness of caffeine without reducing the increase in alertness.


Where did Teabags come from?
The first tea bags were made from hand-sewn silk muslin bags. Thomas Sullivan, a tea and coffee merchant from New York City, attempted to cut sampling costs by sending loose tea in small silk sacks. Potential clients, confused by this new packaging, threw the tea in hot water-- bag and all. Thomas started getting many requests for these "teabags" and realized that he had struck gold. The quick and easy clean-up of the leaves (due to the fact that they were still contained in the silk bag) made it enticingly convenient.



XOXO
Yours Truly