Wikipedia tells us that “tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves.” It has currently grown in more than 35 countries, and supports more than 13 million people, according to http://www.fao.org/international-tea-day/en/ .

The four biggest tea-producing countries today are China, India, Sri Lanka, and Kenya. Together they represent 75% of world production (Palaisdesthes.com). As for the United Kingdom, they are the third country in the world to consume the most tea, following Turkey and Iraq (Wikipedia).

With so many tea drinkers around the world, it should come as no surprise that the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed May 21 as International Tea Day, “recognizing the long history and deep cultural and economic significance of tea around the world. The celebration promotes the sustainable production, consumption, and trade of tea, and offers opportunity for actors at global, regional and national levels to ensure that the tea sector continues to play a role in reducing extreme poverty, fighting hunger and safeguarding natural resources” (fao.org).

According to legend, Emperor Shen Nung discovered tea when leaves from a tree blew into his pot of boiling water. People in China and around the world have been drinking it ever since (facebook.com).

Every second, people consume 25,000 cups of tea. This estimates 2.16 billion cups of tea per day (comfyliving.net).

Drinking tea not only tastes good, but it also has many health benefits including aids with weight loss, protects bones, prevents tooth loss, soothes the digestive system, boosts the immune system, helps battle cancer, and more (fooddarzee.com).

The best way to participate on International Tea Day is to drink a cup of tea! There are many different types of teas to choose from such as White tea, Oolong, Green tea, Black tea, Yellow tea, and post-fermented. Hot or iced, sweetened or unsweetened, tea can be enjoyed however.