Can you imagine your day without a cup of fragrant, strong, invigorating ... no, no, not coffee ... TEA ?! We think not.
Much has been written and said about the benefits of tea. Black or green, with lemon and honey, it is good as a prophylaxis and treatment of colds, with mint it improves digestion and gives a boost of energy, and if you add ginger to this drink, you can get a great way to speed up your metabolism. But are we so familiar with this amazing drink?
We offer you to go on an unusual trip and find out some interesting facts about tea.
"From the history of tea"
Origin
Often tea is attributed to Indian origin, however, evidence has been gathered that the homeland of this drink is the East, and more specifically, China.
First sip
There is a legend that one of the emperors of the Middle Kingdom, Shen-Nong, was the first to taste tea, and this happened by accident. In a cauldron with boiling water, the wind brought several leaves from a tea tree. After drinking the resulting infusion, the emperor was struck by his taste and aroma and wished to continue to use such a drink.
Visit to Europe
Europeans got acquainted with this drink only in the middle of the XVII century. King Louis XIV of France was one of the first representatives of the European nobility to systematically drink tea, but not as a tasty drink, but as a medicine. He even ordered the organization of the first tea plantation in France.
Around the same time, the drink hit England, where it quickly spread among aristocrats. Queen Katarina Braginskaya loved this drink so much that she even refused wine in his favor. Thus, she introduced fashion for secular tea parties, first among the secular elite, and then among the whole country.
The British tradition of Five o’clock Tea is still known and alive. The ancestor of such a tea party is Anna Russell, the Duchess of Bedford. It was she who gathered her friends to drink tea from beautiful dishes before dinner and discuss the latest news. Thanks to friendly meetings, one of the most interesting traditions of foggy England was born and took root to this day.
By the way, there is an interesting article about the most popular and beautiful sights of England on our site most-beauty.ru.
For a long time, Europeans believed that there was only one type of drink - Chinese, however, later plantations of wild-growing tea were found in India, Vietnam, Laos, as well as on the outskirts of the Tibetan plateau.
Russia, meet!
Tea penetrated into Russia in 1638 and quickly and actively gained popularity among people. Ambassador Vasily Starkov brought 64 kilograms of tea, exchanging it for sable skins. Because of its value, at first it was available only to the upper strata of society. But with the expansion of trade relations, primarily with China, it began to spread widely throughout the country.
Now all over the world, tea "in Russian" is considered black with sugar and lemon.
The Magic of Color
Variety of varieties
Despite the fact that all varieties of tea (green, black, red, etc.) are made from the leaves of one plant - Camellia, according to very relative estimates, there are 1,500 varieties of tea.
The black
Black tea is the most popular all over the world. Its feature is a rich tart taste. The presence of caffeine is determined by its exciting property.
It lowers cholesterol, has bactericidal properties, improves kidney function, and is a powerful antioxidant. There is an interesting article about the best producers of black tea at most-beauty.ru.
Green
Green tea is distinguished by the fact that it undergoes minimal processing, this allows you to maintain maximum beneficial properties. In his homeland, in China, they treat about 400 diseases! One of the most famous representatives of the green drink is puer.
The mystery of the little Buddha
Tea “Riddle of the Little Buddha”, a mixture of blends of white and green varieties, is also very popular. It has an unforgettable aroma! The hints of hibiscus and jasmine give it a specific taste.
Red
Very often you can hear the phrase "red tea". However, this is a rather ambiguous term, because “black” is often called the black variety familiar to us. This is due to the fact that the finished drink has a bright ruby hue. But the real red tea is the one made from the young tea leaves of the highlands of China.
Red tea is known for its properties such as: eliminating puffiness, normalizing bowel function, stabilizing blood pressure, improving metabolic processes in the body. By the way, it is his last quality that makes him not the most favorable drink for pregnant women and children.
A few facts about Chinese puer tea:
- Its homeland is the territory on the eastern border of the Tibetan Plateau;
- Now called Puer all tea made from the leaves of the Yuan tea tree;
- Preparation consists of seven stages: collecting leaves, withering, curling, fermenting, drying, pressing, ripening;
- It is the fermentation stage that is the difference of this variety;
- Puerh is recommended to drink in small sips in order to fully experience not only the taste, but also the rich aftertaste.
Tea Life Hacks
Few people know that tea can be used for other purposes, that is, not only consumed as a drink. A practical and inventive people, on the basis of its useful properties, came up with very useful and simple ways of its application in everyday life.
For example, it is known that tea has a good effect on the condition of the skin and hair. Based on this, most-beauty.ru suggests reusing tea bags as follows:
Healthy hair
After shampooing, rinse your hair with tea that has been firmly brewed. This will help make your hair shiny. However, such a recipe is good exclusively for dark-haired people, because light curls can become colored and become a few tones darker.
Healthy face
Wet tea bags get rid of bags under the eyes and swelling is no worse than a cucumber.
Healthy skin
If you wipe your face twice a day with a cotton pad dipped in a strong tea leaves, you can get rid of oily skin.
Against burns
Juice or pulp of fresh tea leaf is an excellent remedy for burns and inflammations on the skin.
Oral prophylaxis
Tea contains fluorine, which makes it an excellent tool for the prevention of diseases of the oral cavity, including caries.
Bad smell
Tea eliminates unpleasant odors. It is enough to wash your hands with this drink, and you can get rid of any aroma (even fish!), And tea bags, enclosed in shoes or sports bags, relieve the smell of sweat.
Great flavor
Used tea bags can serve as good flavors. You can put a few drops of essential oils on them and pack them in a beautiful rag bag and a stylish flavoring in your apartment or car.
Help for poisoning
A strong sweet drink is used in cases of poisoning with drugs or alcohol, and a dry leaf of green tea that needs to be chewed during the trip does an excellent job of nausea or motion sickness in vehicles.
Pay attention to a useful article on most-beauty.ru about the best and most effective drugs for a hangover.
Subject for creativity
Loose tea can be fun for your children. How? Try glueing the drawing on paper or cardboard, and then sprinkle with tea. You will get an interesting craft, and in the process, enjoy the aroma.
Insect protection
The following practical advice may seem a little strange - use tea bags as a way to protect against insects and rodents. You need to put the bags in the cabinets and the smell of tea "scares away" the pests.
"It is interesting"
Did you know that:
- Green tea has 50% more vitamin C than black tea;
- Any variety contains antioxidants, which makes it an excellent tool for the prevention of oncology and cardiovascular diseases;
- In ancient times, tea was added not sugar or honey, as we are used to doing now, but salt;
- The beginning of the American Revolution of 1775-1783. served as the destruction in Boston harbor of a cargo of tea of the British East India Company. This event in history was called "Boston Tea Party";
- Ivan tea contains about 71 useful trace elements, which is 2/3 of the periodic table;
- In England, several different types of tea are surely served to the table so that everyone present can choose a drink to taste and mood;
- The usual black tea in China is called red, since the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom give it a name based on the color of the finished brewed drink;
- Interesting fact: in 1904, the merchant Thomas Sullivan decided that it was much more profitable to sell tea in silk bags, rather than in tin cans. So, quite by accident, a tea bag familiar to us appeared. In 1929, engineer Adolf Rambold gave it a modern look;
- It is considered a national drink in countries such as Iran and Afghanistan;
- The most popular in the world after water;
- About 2 million cups of tea are drunk every minute in the world!
Summary
Well, our journey to the most interesting facts about the drink that won the hearts of millions has come to an end. We offer to brew a cup of your favorite tea and enjoy its bright and rich taste. Have a nice tea party!