Legend has it that tea was discovered by Chinese Emperor Shen Nung in 2737 BCE when a tea leaf accidentally fell into his bowl of hot water.
History of tea drinking in India began with a devout Buddhist monk about almost 2000 years ago. It so happened when a Buddhist monk decided to spend seven sleepless years contemplating the life and teachings of Buddha decided to chew the leaves of nearby wild tea plant which kept him conscious.
In early 1900 century, Thomas Sullivan, a New York tea merchant started to send samples of tea to his customers in small silken bags and thus tea bag was born accidentally.
China is the world’s largest producer of tea. In 2009, China produced 1,359,000 tonnes; India was second with 979,000 tonnes.
Tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world, after water.
The art of reading tea leaves is called tasseography.
Teetotaler is a person who abstains from drinking alcohol, prefers other non-alcoholic beverages, and has absolutely nothing to do with tea.
As tea absorbs moisture, it is important to store loose tea or tea bags in a tin or a sealed jar.
Tea plants need at least 50 inches of rain a year.
It takes around four to 12 years for a tea plant to produce seed. It takes about three years before a new plant is ready to harvest.