'A HISTORY OF...'//TEA FACTS,STATS,FIGURES//OUGD504-SUMMER

TEA FACTS:
http://www.tea.co.uk/teafacts

• Tea breaks are a tradition that have been with us for approximately 200 years.
• 80% of office workers now claim they find out more about what's going on at work over a cup of tea than in any other way.
• By the middle of the 18th Century tea had replaced ale and gin as the drink of the masses and had become Britain's most popular beverage.
• Tea contains half the amount of caffeine found in coffee.
• The number of recommended cups of tea to drink each day is 4, this gives you optimal benefit.
• Tea was created more than 5000 years ago in China.
• Tea is a natural source of fluoride that can help protect against tooth decay and gum disease
• The first book about tea was written by Lu Yu in 800 A.D
• Tea firstly appeared in Europe thanks to Portuguese Jesuit Father Jasper de Cruz in 1560.
• Tea has potential health maintainence benefits in cardiovascular disease and cancer prevention.
• 96% of all cups of tea drunk daily in the UK are brewed from tea bags.
• Apart from tourism, tea is the biggest industrial activity in India.
• 98% of people take their tea with milk, but only 30% take sugar in tea.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 

Q: ARE WE NOW A COFFEE DRINKING NATION?

A: No, the number of cups of coffee drunk each day is estimated at 70 million.

Q: WHO IS THE LARGEST PER CAPITA TEA DRINKING NATION?

A: Republic of Ireland followed by Britain.

Q: WHO IS THE LARGEST PRODUCER OF TEA IN THE WORLD?

A: China with 1,359,000 tonnes, India is second with 979,000 tonnes (2009 production).

Q: WHAT PERCENTAGE OF BRITISH TEA IS CONSUMED FROM A TEA BAG?

A: 96%

Q: WHAT PERCENTAGE OF TEA IS TAKEN WITH MILK?

A: 98%

Q: HOW MANY CUPS OF TEA DO THE BRITISH DRINK A DAY?

A: 165 million cups daily or 60.2 billion per year.

Q: DO GREEN AND BLACK TEA COME FROM DIFFERENT PLANTS?

A: No, they both come from the same plant known by its botanical name Camellia sinensis.

Q: DOES TEA CONTAIN THE SAME LEVEL OF CAFFEINE AS COFFEE?

A: No, at least half the level of coffee.

Q: HOW MANY VARIETIES OF TEA ARE THERE?

A: Tea Council estimates about 1,500 varieties of Camellia sinensis.

Q: WHY DOES TEA REFRESH YOU IN HOT WEATHER?

A: It simply raises the body temperature momentarily, you perspire and the perspiration on your skin creates a cooling effect.

TYPHOO TEA FACTS:

In the UK we consume about 130,000 tonnes of tea a year of which at least 95% is in teabags.

One hectare of tea is planted out with approximately 12,000 tea bushes. Depending on its location these bushes can produce up to 3,000kgs of black tea in a year.

One bush produces 250grams of black tea a year, which is equal to one pack of Typhoo 80s.

Each bush will take about five days to produce enough tea for a Typhoo tea bag.

To produce our 2.9 billion tea bags we sell annually, we need approximately 40 million tea bushes or over 3300 hectares of tea.

Ty.phoo was the first brand to be sold pre-packaged rather than loose over the counter. At the time, it was believed to have medicinal qualities and was sold through chemists' shops.

The slogan on the first label read 'Ty.phoo, the tea that doctors recommend.'

The beverage's curative qualities were ascribed to the purity of Ty.phoo's 'leaf-edge' tea, compared to more ordinary varieties.

During World War 1, when the Government bought up and rationed tea stocks, Ty.phoo inserted circulars into packs urging customers to complain. The 'tea controller', deluged with letters, finally relented and Ty.phoo was made freely available.

Cold tea is good for taking the sting out of sunburn.

Brunettes can add shine to their hair by rinsing it in cold tea.

TEN TEA FACTS

http://www.foodeu.com/articles/Top+Ten+Tea+Facts.aspx

Tea has been around for centuries and is the second most-consumed beverage in the world, after water, with literally thousands of varieties in existance. Nowadays we seem to be finding more reasons to drink tea every day, whether it be black, white, green, herbal, Chinese or any other type. The anti-oxidising and cleansing abilities of the tea leaf make for a healthy choice, so say the scientists, but what else is tea good for?
Here are 10 facts that you might not have previously known about tea.

1. The origins of tea:
Legend has it that tea originated well over 5000 years ago in ancient China. The innovative and science-curious emporer Shen Nung insisted that for hygeine purposes, all water in the palace must be boiled. When he was out visiting his kingdom one day, him and his men stopped to boil water to drink and it was said that leaves from a nearby bush fell into the water. Apparently the brew that resulted was so refreshing, the emporer ordered samples of the bush to be brought back to the palace for analysis. Afterwards, word got out and this new phenomenon became fashionable.

2. From the Camellia bush:
Both black and green teas are made from the Camellia sinensis bush and have similar quantities of antioxidants and caffeine.

3. Antioxidant:
Tea contains catechins, a type of antioxidant which has been found to reduce people's risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Catechins can also be found in cocoa and dark chocolate.

Santosh Katiyar, associate professor of dermatology at the University of Alabama in Birmingham found that the antioxidant also known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate can protect the skin from harmful UV rays.

4. Vitamins and minerals:
When combined with milk, tea can offer an array of vitamins and minerals including calcium, vitamin B6, Riboflavin B2, Thiamin B1, manganese for bone growth and repair, and potassium, important for neuron and brain function.

5. Puffy eyes and sunburn:
Teabags can be used to reduce the swelling of puffy eyes. Lie on your back and place a moist teabag over both eyes and leave on for around 20 minutes, this leaves your eyes feeling fresher, brighter, and looking revitalised. Also, a wet teabag can be used to soothe burns and sunburn. By either placing the teabag straight onto the burn or pouring tea into cool bathwater, it has been known to take away the burn's sting and help the skin heal faster.

6. Tea reduces risk of heart attacks:
Research conducted in the Netherlands suggests that tea can help people avoid heart attacks, especially women. Johanna M Geleijnse, PhD from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam led a study which followed 4807 Dutch adults over the age of 55 who had no heart problems in their previous medical history.
After 5 years it was found that the volunteers who drank 375ml of black tea per day had a 43% reduction in the risk of having a heart attack and a 70% reduced risk of having a fatal attack.
Johanna commented on the team's findings: "We observed a strong inverse relation between tea intake and incident myocardial infarction(heart attack), and the relation was stronger in women than in men. Our findings suggest a protective effect of tea and flavonoid intakes against MI."

7. Odour absorbant:
It has been found that tea can work as an odour absorbant, removing bad smells especially from your skin. Pouring a cup over your hands is said to work wonders for all kinds of bad odours!

8. Warts and all:
Tea can be used to treat warts as the tannin present in tea is acidic. This element makes tea as effective at removing warts as creams and ointments. Leaving a moist teabag on the wart for 15 minutes, 3 times per day, will cause the wart to shrink and disappear.

9. Caffeine:
The caffeine content of tea is approximately half of the amount that you'd find in a cup of brewed coffee. Whereas coffee provides around 100mg per 190ml cup, tea provides just 50mg, leaving you without the caffeine "drop" so familiar to coffee drinkers.

10. Oral Health:
A report issued by the UK Tea Council in 2006 stated that the fluoride content of tea makes it a potent defender of oral health. Fluoride binds to the tooth enamel, slowing down the tooth decay process and preventing cavities. Also, the instance of tannins in tea inhibits the growth of certain plaque-forming bacteria.

http://www.beveragestandardsassociation.co.uk/Tea-Facts

• The British have been drinking tea for nearly 400 years
• Tea breaks are traditions that have been with us for approximately 200 years. Initially when workers commenced their day at around 5 or 6am, employers allowed a break in the morning when food and tea were served. Some employers repeated the break in the afternoon as well
• Tea costs approximately 3p per cup to make. Coffee costs 6.5p
• Tea outsells coffee by 2 to 1
• There are 26 tea-growing nations. The principal ones are India,China, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Indonesia
• Over 50% of our tea comes from East Africa – Kenya, Malawi,Zimbabwe
• The UK imports and consumes 140 thousand tonnes of tea per year
• The UK drinks 165 million cups per day - 62 billion cups per year
• There are estimated to be about 1,500 different varieties of tea
• In a recent study, 80% of staff claim they find out more about what's going on at work over a cup of tea than in any other way
• The UK tea market is worth circa £700 million annually
• Average consumption is circa 3 cups per day (10 years old and over)
• 70% of population (over 10yrs) drank tea yesterday
• 95% of tea is consumed in tea bags
• 86% of tea is consumed at home, 14% out of home
• 93% of tea consumed is a blend – 7% speciality tea. Earl Grey 50% of speciality market
• Over 25% of milk consumed in UK is taken with tea
• 98% of people take milk with tea
• 45% of people take sugar with their tea

http://www.worldteaexpo.com/index.php/facts-a-stats

After water, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world.

Tea comes from the leaves of a tree called Camellia sinensis. Although the tree can grow over 30 feet tall it is often cut short like a bush so that the leaves can be plucked easily when harvesting.

Tea is grown in 36 countries around the world. The most famous tea producing countries are India, Sri Lanka, China, Indonesia, Kenya, Japan and Taiwan. Lesser known areas include Argentina, Bangladesh, Uganda, Malawi, Turkey, Iran, and Brazil. India is the world's largest producer and consumer of tea. 

Most tea falls into one of three categories: Black, Oolong and Green. Other categories include White and Yellow.

A single pound of specialty tea will yield about 180 cups of brewed tea.

Tea was accidentally discovered around 2737 B.C. by Chinese Emperor Shen-Nun who was sitting beneath a tree waiting for his water to boil when tea leaves fell into his pot.

The United States is the birthplace of Iced Tea. Today over 80% of tea consumed in the U.S. is still sold as an iced drink.

Tea A-Z: 26 interesting facts about tea - From where the tea bag was invented to the natural mosquito repellent found in it's leaves

BY FDL ON DECEMBER 03, 2011

Astrotea. You can use tea leaves to read the future. Just leave a small amount of tea in the bottom of the cup along with some tea leaves, and after stirring the remains three times, the pattern you’re left with will tell you what’s in store. In Asia, readers of tea leaves are just as respected as astrologers.

Bags. Tea bags were invented in America in the early 1800s, and were initially used to hold samples of teas brought from India. Today, 96% of all cups of tea served around the world were made using teabags.

Camellia sinensis. There are many different kinds of tea, but they are all derived from just one plant: Camellia sinensis. The color and variety of the tea (green, black, white, oolong) depends, however, on the way the leaves are treated.

Darjeeling. It’s called the champagne of tea: a black tea, it is grown in the eponymous area of Indian Bengal. One of the world’s most highly-prized tea varieties, teas are often falsely sold as coming from this area: for every 400 tons of tea sold under this name every year, only 100 tons actually comes from Darjeeling. 

Elevenses. At 11 o’clock in the morning, to stay alert, in England it’s common to take a break with a cup of tea and some cakes: Elevenses. Before dinner, however, you can take ‘high tea’: a kind of reinforced snack.

Food. You can’t have a cup without something to go with it: from cookies and English cucumber sandwiches to seafood accompanied by green tea in Japan, by way of spicy Indian meat dishes, and all-chocolate desserts from Assam.

Gin. Mix gin and cold tea, flavor with little lemon rind, and you’ll get a great summer cocktail. In the mid 1700s, in Great Britain, tea replaced gin as the drink of the masses, and became the nation’s favorite beverage.

Hot or cold. Perfect when drunk steaming hot, tea is also one of the most thirst-quenching summer drinks when drunk cold, perhaps with ice, and possibly some lemon, lime or leaves of mint to add flavor.

India. After tourism, the cultivation of tea is India’s second largest industry. And India tea is the variety most commonly drunk the world over, despite the fact that it originally came from China. 

Joan Cusack. «Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? Me?» is one of cinema’s best-known quotes. It’s the famously cheeky line uttered by Joan Cusack to Harrison Ford in the classic film Working Girl.

Kettle. You won’t find a kitchen in England without one: the kettle, used to boil the water for tea, can be either electric or heated up on the hob. 

Loose tea. Loose tea is, for connoisseurs, the best way to taste tea: the quality of the tea leaves, which are often whole, and not broken up as in tea bags, is often higher, and retains more of their original flavor.

Mosquitoes. Tea leaves are a natural means of keeping mosquitoes away. All you have to do is use slightly damp leaves to add the scent of tea to the areas you want to keep insect-free.

Not just for drinking. Here are five good reasons for not giving up tea, even if you don’t drink it - it helps to heal shaving cuts, eliminates bad odors when added to a foot bath, can be used to marinade meat, is a great fertilizer for roses, and is also good for cleaning floors.

Oolong. Oolong tea, a Chinese and Taiwanese tea with a fruity aroma, is also often called Dragon’s Tea: these tea leaves, when put in teapot, often start to look like a dragon. The world’s most expensive tea is an oolong tea: it’s called Tieguanyin, and its leaves cost up to $3,000 per kilo.

Party. The Tea Party is the American political movement which calls for less state intervention in key areas like the economy and healthcare. Its name harks back to the Boston Tea Party, an act of protest carried out in the 1700s when Americans rebelled against the British government, destroying cases of tea which had arrived from India.

Quotes. «Women are like tea bags. They do not know how strong they are until they get into hot water.» - Eleanor Roosevelt.

Ritz Carlton of Hong Kong. This is where the world’s most expensive afternoon tea is drunk – you can spend up to $8,888 dollars here. You can taste the world’s best teas, finger food, fantastic cakes and enjoy the best view of the city.

Samovar. In Russia, the water for tea is boiled using a samovar. They were initially heated using coal, but these days usually run on electricity. They’re traditional, common household items found in Russia, Iran and Turkey.

Theanine. The stimulant found in tea leaves is theanine, an antioxidant whose equivalent in coffee is caffeine. Tea, however, contains less caffeine than coffee: around half the amount.

UK. The London Tea Auction was an institution which lasted for 300 years. Tea was sold using the ‘by the candle’ system: bidding for lots went on until an inch of a candle had burnt away.

Vitamins. Tea is a natural antioxidant, and rich in vitamins: it contains vitamins B2, B1 and B6. Tea, however, is also rich in potassium, manganese, folic acid and calcium.

Water. Experts have always advised on the best kind of water for making tea. In early Chinese texts we can find suggestions that the best water should be taken from rivers and lakes.

X-rated. Amongst the many thousands of qualities that tea can boast, it has relaxing effects that can help improve your sex life. In particular,Ashwagandha tea is regarded as a stimulant to virility.

Yin Zhen or Silver Needle. This is the most highly prized of white teas. It comes from China, and takes its name from the leaves used to make it, which are harvested when they’re young and still unfurled, and look like needles.

Zillah. The world’s oldest gas pump is still going strong, and can be found in Zillah, in Washington State. It’s known as the Teapot Dome Service Station, as it happens to look like a teapot.

USA TEA FACTS

http://www.teausa.com/index.cfm/14655/tea-fact-sheet

Tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world next to water, and can be found in almost 80% of all U.S. households. It is the only beverage commonly served hot or iced, anytime, anywhere, for any occasion. On any given day, over 154 million Americans are drinking tea.

Annual Consumption:         (U.S.)

In 2010, Americans consumed well over 65 billion servings of tea, or over 3.00 billion gallons. About 80% of all tea consumed was Black Tea, 19.5% was Green Tea, and a small remaining amount was Oolong and White Tea.

Daily Consumption:  (U.S.)	On any given day, about one half of the American population drinks tea. On a regional basis, the South and Northeast have the greatest concentration of tea drinkers.
Iced Tea Consumption:	Approximately 85% of tea consumed in America is iced.
Ready-To-Drink Iced Teas:	Over the last ten years, Ready-To-Drink Tea has grown by more than 15 times. In 2010, Ready-To-Drink sales were conservatively estimated at $3.30 billion.
Tea Bags, Loose Tea & Iced Tea Mixes:	In 2010, over 65% of the tea brewed in the United States was prepared using tea bags. Ready-to-Drink and iced tea mix comprises about one fourth of all tea prepared in the U.S., with instant and loose tea accounting for the balance. Instant tea is declining and loose tea is gaining in popularity, especially in Specialty Tea and coffee outlets.

Current Sales:	2010 was the 19th consecutive year that consumer purchases of tea increased. Retail supermarket sales alone surpassed the $2.15 billion dollar mark. Away-from-home consumption has been increasing by at least 10% annually over the last decade.
Anticipated Sales: (U.S.)	The industry anticipates strong, continuous growth over the next five years. This growth will come from all segments driven by convenience, interest in the healthy properties of tea, and by the continued discovery of Specialty Tea.

Varieties:	Black, Green, Oolong and White teas all come from the same plant, a warm-weather evergreen named Camellia sinensis. Differences among the four types of tea result from the various degrees of processing and the level of oxidization. Black tea is oxidized for up to 4 hours and Oolong teas are oxidized for 2-3 hours. As a result, the tea leaves undergo natural chemical reactions, which result in taste and color changes, and allow for distinguishing characteristics. Green & White teas are not oxidized after processing and they most closely resemble the look and chemical composition of the fresh tea leaf. Oolong tea is midway between Black and Green teas in strength and color.
Grown In:	Much of the world’s tea is grown in mountainous areas 3,000 – 7,000 feet above sea level, situated between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn in mineral-rich soil. Leading tea-producing countries include Argentina, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania.
History:	Tea is nearly 5,000 years old. It was discovered in 2737 BC by Chinese Emperor Shen-Nung, known as the “Divine Healer,” when as legend goes, some tea leaves accidentally blew into the Emperor’s pot of boiling water. In the 1600’s, tea became highly popular through out Europe and the American colonies. Tea played a dramatic part in the establishment of the United States of America. In 1767 the British Government put a tax on the tea used by American colonists. Protesting this “taxation without representation,” the colonists decided to stop buying tea and refused to allow tea ships to be unloaded. One December night in 1723, men dressed as Native Americans boarded British ships in Boston Harbor and threw more than 300 chests of tea into the sea. This now famous Boston Tea Party, in protest of the British tea tax, was said to be one of the acts leading to the Revolutionary War. Anna, Duchess of Bedford, is credited with creating Afternoon Teain 1840, when she began taking tea with a light snack around 4:00 p.m. to ward off “that sinking feeling.” High Tea originated with the rural and working class British, who would return to their homes at about 6:00 p.m.for a meal of potted meats, fish, cheese, salads, sweets, and a pot of strong tea. The U.S. played an important role in the history of tea, inventing the tea bag and iced tea, both in 1904. Recently, the U.S. has led the rest of the world in marketing convenient Ready-To-Drink forms of tea in bottles.
Environmental Qualities:	Tea is an all-natural and environmentally sound product from a renewable source. The tea plant is naturally resistant to most insects; oxidation of the tea leaf is a natural process; and many tea packers use recycled paper for packaging.
Health Qualities:	Tea is a refreshing beverage that contains no sodium, fat, carbonation, or sugar. It is virtually calorie-free. Tea helps maintain proper fluid balance and may contribute to overall good health. Tea contains flavonoids, naturally occurring compounds that are believed to have antioxidant properties.  Antioxidants work to neutralize free radicals, which scientists believe, over time, damage elements in the body, such as genetic material and lipids, and contribute to chronic disease. Every day, new findings from the international scientific community lend credibility to tea’s healthy properties.  Recent research has explored the potential health attributes of tea through studies in humans, animal models and through in vitro laboratory research.  For the most part, studies conducted on green and black tea, which are both from the Camellia sinensis plant, have yielded similar results.  Recent research suggests that tea and tea flavonoids may play important roles in various areas of health and may operate through a number of different mechanisms still being explored.  As research continues, here are some exciting recent findings: Heart Health: The current body of research suggests that drinking tea can offer significant heart health benefits ranging from reducing heart attack risk to lowering Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, or “bad” cholesterol, with benefits seen with just one cup and upwards of six cups a day.  A Harvard study found that those who drank a cup or more of black tea per day had a 44% reduced risk of heart attack.[i] In a large population based study, adults who drank just over two cups of green tea per day reduced their risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 22-23%.[ii] Additionally, a US Department of Agriculture study found that participants who drank five cups of black tea per day along with a diet moderately low in fat and cholesterol reduced their LDL cholesterol by about 11% after three weeks.[iii] Certain Cancers: Benefits to gastrointestinal health reaped by tea-drinking seem to be cumulative and dependent upon the amount of tea consumed per day as well as the number of tea-drinking years. One study found that women who consumed the equivalent of 2.5 cups of tea per day had a 60% reduction in rectal cancer risk, compared with women who drank less than 1.2 cups of tea daily.[iv]  An additional study found tea drinkers to have an approximate 42% reduced risk of colon cancer compared to non-tea drinkers.  Men who drank more than 1.5 cups of tea per day were found to have a 70% lower colon cancer risk.[v] One study showed that participants who drank iced black tea and citrus peel had a 42% reduced risk of skin cancer[vi] and hot black tea consumption was associated with a significantly lower risk of the most common form of skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma.[vii] Neurological Decline: A recently published long-term study of nearly 30,000 adults found that drinking three or more cups of tea per day was associated with a 69% reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.[viii] According to research presented at the 2007 Scientific Symposium on Tea and Health, theanine, an amino acid that is for the most part uniquely found in tea (green and black), may help prevent age-related memory decline. This human-based data is supported by recent animal studies utilizing theanine.[ix] Another recent animal study shows that green tea may have protective effects against Alzheimer’s disease.[x]
Caffeine Content:	Tea is naturally low in caffeine. A cup of Black Tea, for example, contains about 40 milligrams of caffeine.
Cost Per Serving:	Prepared in the home, tea costs about three cents per serving, cup or glass. Tea continues to remain one of the most economical beverages available.