Bingo has always been one of the favourite pastimes in the UK. There, people host virtual bingo parties, prepare educational bingo games, and there are plenty of celebrities who enjoy playing a game of bingo or two. Today, bingo is present online, and the rise in popularity of online bingo resulted in developing plenty of unique and fun bingo games. You’ll benefit from different offers, bonuses and jackpots, and you can meet numerous people in the online chat provided in the bingo rooms.
Another activity that has been recognized as one of the favourite pastimes in Britain is drinking tea. When we think of tea, we immediately think about Britain and the British tea tradition. It’s the second most popular beverages worldwide, after coffee. Yes, British people are considered the most popular tea drinkers, and we’ve already talked about the history of tea in Britain. About 80% of Brits drink tea and consume millions of cups yearly, so tea definitely plays an important role there!
The most popular tea tradition in Britain is afternoon tea and it has been present in British culture since 1840. From the 19th century onwards, afternoon tea is served as the meal that satisfies the hunger between lunch and dinner. Over the years, afternoon tea has evolved, and people are exploring new additions to the common tea combinations.
In honour of tea traditions in the UK, we’ve covered up a couple of tea fun facts you might not know.
Tea doesn’t come from Britain - You might think that the history of tea starts in Britain, however, the tea was found in China by the Chinese emperor Shen Nung. Tea was first brought to Britain in the early 17th century by the East India Company and was an expensive drink available only to the upper class.
A hungry Duchess is the reason for the afternoon tea tradition - Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, would get hungry around 4 PM, while the evening meal was served at around 8 PM. In order for the Duchess to not be hungry in the long period between lunch and dinner, she asked a tray of bread, tea, butter, and a cake to be brought into her room late in the afternoon. That became a habit and she started inviting her friends for an afternoon tea.
Only men were allowed to drink tea - When tea came to Britain, it was sold in coffee houses and only men were allowed to enter them and drink tea. In 1717, the Twinning family opened a tea shop that allowed women. This shop is still opened, so feel free to visit it.
There was a time when tea was illegal - When in the 18th century, taxation of tea imports increased to 119%, people imported through illegal methods. This led to massive smuggling of tea, and people started to sell low-quality tea products. People dried used tea leaves and mixed them with new leaves and other plants in order to produce new tea. This smuggling was eliminated after 1784 when tea taxation went to 12.5%.
The teabag was found later - When tea was invented, enjoying a cup of tea required brewing a whole pot which led to a lot of waste. In 1908, a tea importer started sending tea samples in little silk bags. Instead of throwing the bags, people started putting the whole bag in brewing a single cup. And that’s how the story of teabag starts!
The most expensive tea bag - The most expensive tea bag in the world was created by Boodles jewellers to celebrate PG Tips’s 75th anniversary. The diamond-encrusted bag was valued at £7,500.
Milk before tea - You know that many people drink tea with milk, especially when it comes to dark tea because it is so strong on its own. However, in the past, people preferred to put milk before tea into the cup to protect china.
Green tea and black tea are made from the same plant - Tea is made from the leaves of Camellia Sinensis, a small tree from Asia. The difference between green tea and black tea, as well as between other tea types, is the way how leaves are processed. After the leaves are picked, they start to oxidise. For example, white tea is the least oxidised tea, then is the green tea, while black tea oxidises the most.
Black tea is the most popular - Almost 75% of the world’s tea consumption comes from black tea. Black tea is the most common beverage in the UK, United States, and Europe. The second popular tea is green tea which is the most common beverage in Japan and China.
You can drink too much tea - In 2014, a 56-year-old man had a kidney issue after he drank about 16 glasses of tea in a day. He drank black tea that has high concentrations of oxalate, which lead to renal failure.
Tea was seen as a health drink - Historically, people believed that tea, especially green tea, can reduce some types of cancer, blood pressure, risk of cardiovascular diseases, as well as it helps with bad breath, weight loss, and acts as an anti-inflammatory. Even if it’s hard to prove that tea has a direct impact on health, many studies have proved its positive benefits.
The British Standard for the perfect cup of tea - In 1980, the British Tea Producers’ Association, Tea Trade Committee and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food created the standards for the perfect cup of tea to help professional tea testers:
"You need a pot made of porcelain, and there must be at least two grams of tea to every 100ml of water. The temperature can’t go beyond 85 degrees when served but should be above 60 degrees for "optimum flavour and sensation".
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Here at Bingo Scanner, regardless of providing you with the most popular bingo sites, bonuses, and promotions, we love sharing interesting facts and stories that revolve around the UK culture, one of which is the fun facts about tea. In case you have some other story that you want to share with us, feel free to let us know. And if you enjoy this article, stick with us while we go through the most popular aspects that make Britain so Great!
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