International Tea Day

Happy International Tea Day!

This day is one that is rather close to my heart, as I am a proud tea-drinker. The first International Tea Day was held on December 15, 2005. This day was held in countries known for the production of tea, including Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Kenya, and Uganda. In 2019, the Intergovernmental Group on Tea decided to celebrate it on May 21. The United Nations made a resolution to celebrate International Tea Day on December 19, 2020. The U.N. would celebrate the first International Tea Day post-resolution on this day in 2021. 

What is the purpose of this day, you may ask? Well, the purpose of this day is to raise awareness of the history and cultural signifiance of tea around the world. It's not surprising. Tea is one of the most-consumed drinks in the world. You know which country consumes the most tea? You're thinking England, right?

Nope. England has a lot of tea drinkers, but India is the country with the most tea drinkers. They love their tea over there. 

Some of the earliest records of tea drinking can be traced to China's Shang Dynasty, in which it was drunk as a medicine. According to Chinese legend, Emperor Shennong discovered tea thanks to some leaves blowing into his cup of hot water. He drank the mixture and was like, "Hey, this is pretty darn good!" A medical text by physician Hua Tuo from 220 AD is an early credible record of ancient tea drinking. However, 21st century research has been rather inconclusive about the health benefits of tea.

In 1555, Italian explorer Giovanni Battista Ramusio would first make Europe aware of tea thanks to his publication Voyages and Travels. In the 16th century that tea would come to the West, thanks to Portuguese priests. Later on, the British would introduce tea to India in an attempt to break China's monopoly on the drink, but it wouldn't be until the late 20th century that tea would become truly popular there.

In the US, for a long time, tea (at least hot tea) would not be popular thanks to British taxation on British taxation on tea while it was a bunch of colonies. In more recent years, specialty teas would become popular, and sweet tea is quite popular in the South.

So yeah, tea has quite a long and fascinating history, more than I could talk about here. But it is an incredible drink. One that I enjoy a nice cup of every morning. Thanks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!