15 December 2016: International Tea Day

International Tea Day is celebrated annually on 15 December.

International Tea Day originated in places where tea is grown, in countries such as Sri Lanka, Kenya and India, to bring awareness to the workers in the industry. The day is observed in the world’s tea-producing countries including Vietnam, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Uganda, Tanzania, and Malawi. In 2005, a group of tea workers in India officially established International Tea Day.

All tea comes from the same plant, called the Camelli Sinensis. Tea is the second-most popular beverage (after water).

New Englanders and Southerners drink the most tea in the United States, and about 85% of it is served on ice. Americans typically prefer black and green teas. However, worldwide the per capita consumption of tea is highest in Great Britain and China.

Europe was introduced to tea in the 1600s. The first printed mention of it is in 1550 in Gian Battista Ramusio’s document ‘Navigationi e Viaggi’ from Venice.

Both green tea and black tea has been shown to significantly reduce blood pressure. Black tea helps to lower LDL-cholesterol and green tea helps to lower total cholesterol. In a review of the effects of tea on mood and cognitive function, the combination of L-theanine and caffeine was shown to increase alertness and attention-switching accuracy up to two hours after drinking a cup of tea. Small enhancements in the accuracy of visual and auditory attention was also found.

So it’s time to drink a cup of tea or two today.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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