As you may or may not know, I love to drink tea (hot and cold). My favorite cold tea is Blackberry Mint (only place that serves it now that I know of is the Macaroni Grill and we don't have one any more :0( ), I have several favorite hot teas...to many to list. If you are a tea drinker like me, did you know that January is National Hot Tea Month?
Today tea is the world's second most popular beverage consumed, second only to water. It's easy to make, affordable, and offers variety in its flavors and aroma. Americans drink 50 billion cups of tea each year, 40 billion of which are served as iced tea.
Here is Some Tea Time Trivia…
The first tea bags were created by Thomas Sullivan in 1904, and made of silk.
The difference between Black, Green, and Oolong tea is a result of the changes that occur during processing of the tea leaves. They are all made from the same type of tea leaves.
Black teas are fermented, left in a cool, dark, and damp place for a time, and then heated to stop the fermentation process.
Oolong teas are semi-fermented.
Green teas are heated after picking…so there is no fermenting process.
Herbal teas are not actually teas, but are concoctions of peels, flower leaves, herbs, and spices, and are caffeine free.
The caffeine content of tea is 40 mg in one cup of tea as compared to 99 mg of caffeine in a cup of coffee.
Black and Green teas contain a certain type of antioxidant called flavenoids.
To be labeled “decaffeinated,” the caffeine content per cup of tea must be approximately 5 mg.
Side note: Just incase you were wondering, June is National Iced Tea Month
