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London Visitor Advice British & TeaThe British and Tea Drinking
Author: Daniel Rook | 
‘Tea Makes Everything Better’ - is almost a mantra for the British way of life.
"If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed it will cheer you.
If you are excited it will calm you" .
- British Prime Minister William Gladstone, in 1865
In a recent survey a cup of tea retained its vote as the 2nd most popular British icon (edging Queen Elizabeth into third place), yet we have been turned into a nation of caffeine addicts. How did this happen? On behalf of right-minded tea drinkers, I decided to find out.
Oddly most modern tea bears little resemblance to that luxury product. Today 94% of tea comes in a bag. The contents of the tea bag are called ‘Fannings’. Fannings is the dust left over from the industrial machine-production of tea – equivalent of the cheap meat that is used to make low-grade burgers!
Tea has multiple benefits. The ritual brings a sense of calm, affording time to breathe - and studies show that drinking tea is very good for you. Tea is rich in the antioxidants that reduce blood pressure and fight the ageing of skin. Some teas increase metabolism (good for weight loss!) and also fight cancer. Drinking tea boosts the memory and aids digestion.
So why has the popularity of tea fallen? Almost any product brought to mind, now has a premium equivalent. Is the poor quality partly to blame? There are signs of a tea renaissance - In 2009, market researchers Mintel reported a fall in the number of ‘heavy’ coffee drinkers in the UK by 2 million. We Brits still drink our way through 165 Million cups of tea each day and one fifth of the UK population, now drinks herbal tea.
Perhaps re-introducing fine quality tea will keep HRH in 3rd place, for a few more years yet...
Daniel Rook
www.chashtea.co.uk
"If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed it will cheer you.
If you are excited it will calm you" .- British Prime Minister William Gladstone, in 1865
In a recent survey a cup of tea retained its vote as the 2nd most popular British icon (edging Queen Elizabeth into third place), yet we have been turned into a nation of caffeine addicts. How did this happen? On behalf of right-minded tea drinkers, I decided to find out.
Background of Tea
The production of tea is similar to the production of wine: Like wine, tea comes from one bush (an evergreen plant, known as Camellia Sinensis). The sheer variety of tea is astounding – the unique character stems from location (the climate, soil, how far up the mountain) and the ancient rituals handed down to the farmer. For thousands of years tea was a luxury product that few could afford. Quality was high and consumers around the world were revered as connoisseurs.Oddly most modern tea bears little resemblance to that luxury product. Today 94% of tea comes in a bag. The contents of the tea bag are called ‘Fannings’. Fannings is the dust left over from the industrial machine-production of tea – equivalent of the cheap meat that is used to make low-grade burgers!
Tea has multiple benefits. The ritual brings a sense of calm, affording time to breathe - and studies show that drinking tea is very good for you. Tea is rich in the antioxidants that reduce blood pressure and fight the ageing of skin. Some teas increase metabolism (good for weight loss!) and also fight cancer. Drinking tea boosts the memory and aids digestion. So why has the popularity of tea fallen? Almost any product brought to mind, now has a premium equivalent. Is the poor quality partly to blame? There are signs of a tea renaissance - In 2009, market researchers Mintel reported a fall in the number of ‘heavy’ coffee drinkers in the UK by 2 million. We Brits still drink our way through 165 Million cups of tea each day and one fifth of the UK population, now drinks herbal tea.
Perhaps re-introducing fine quality tea will keep HRH in 3rd place, for a few more years yet...
Daniel Rook
www.chashtea.co.uk
