subject: One Sugar Or Two - A Brief History Of The Great British Cuppa [print this page] One Sugar Or Two - A Brief History Of The Great British Cuppa
Known as many things, the Great British Cuppa, Cha or a cup of Rosie Lee - Tea is without doubt the nations favourite hot drink and has a far more interesting history than you probably realise.
Now enjoyed as a modern day pleasure, enjoyed by millions, tea has been as much a part of exploration, war and slavery as any other precious commodity.
To celebrate the humble cup of tea, here are a few tea facts to enjoy while Hmm, sitting down to a nice cup of tea and hopefully a good amount of biscuits to dunk.
The modern day cuppa was originally created in China some 5000 years ago.
Tea firstly appeared in Europe thanks to Portuguese Jesuit Father Jasper de Cruz in 1560.
It's estimated that almost all British households' posses a teapot even if not used on a regular basis.
Far from the modern image of the perfect cuppa, the early tea trade was bankrolled by drug trafficking and sparked wars?
In the 18th century a pound of tea would have set the average British labourer back by around nine months' worth of wages.
The ritual of afternoon tea as we know it was originally a Victorian invention and is credited to the Duchess of Bedford. Finding she was in need of an afternoon pick-me-up between luncheon and dinner, the Duchess took to enjoying a cake or crustless sandwich with her afternoon cup of Darjeeling.
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.
Apart from tourism, tea is the biggest industrial activity in India.
Over 96% of all tea drunk daily in the UK is brewed from tea bags.
Tea contains around half the amount of caffeine found in coffee.
That's it - Tea break over | Back to work but before you go, just make sure that the kettle is topped up and your cup is clean for the next tea break.
If you're planning a holiday over a nice cup of tea, be sure to get the hottest deals on Gatwick parking, Manchester Airport parking and Luton Airport parking at gosimply.com
