Celebrating International Tea Day With An Extra Brew!
Author: Megan Natoli, Challenge America Program Director
Today is International Tea Day and though the name sounds like it’s just a day about brewing that extra cup, there is a lot more to it than just celebrating tea for all of its soothing, yummy goodness! ☕
The International Tea Day Campaign was first launched in Asia and Africa in 2005 by trade unions, small tea growers, and civil society organizations to bring much needed attention to the working conditions workers faced, their wages, and prices of tea for small tea producers.
The day was first celebrated only in places where tea was produced, but after years of advocacy work, the day was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly at the suggestion of the FAO Intergovernmental Group on Tea in 2019.
Over the last 350 years, the evolution of tea has blossomed into a quintessential daily ritual in both the east and west, though it was first discovered in 2737 BC in China.
According to legend, Chinese emperor and renowned herbalist Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree in 2737 BC while his servant was boiling some drinking water for them. While waiting, some leaves from a Camellia sinensis tree happened to blow into the water from the wind. Intrigued by the resulting infusion, Shen Nung decided to give it a try and thus, the beverage we now know as tea had arrived!
It is believed that tea first made its way to England from the Dutch in 1610, though the earliest known mention of tea in the literature of Europe appeared around 1559 in Navigationi e Viaggi (Voyages and Travels) by Giambattista Ramusio (1485-1557).
Today, it is estimated that over 5 billion cups of tea are brewed globally each day!
Want to learn more about the history of tea?
Check out this fascinating article on the history and this article on different tea infusions written by the UK Tea & Infusions Association.
Wishing you all a wonderful day full of soothing tea and positive vibes! 🍵
Sincerely,
The Challenge America Team
