Tea, as a beverage, is older than coffee, older than wine and maybe even older than beer. Some may argue about the latter, since some types of beer may be as old as 10,000 years, while tea has been around for 'only' about 5,000. Fair enough, let's not quibble. Tea is old.

Tea is also enormously popular. That much is obvious at a casual glance. But just how popular is it? Annual production today of tea leaves is in the neighborhood of 2 billion pounds. Yes, billion. Considering it only takes an ounce or so to make a cup, that's a lot of tea. And that is the annual production. Annual, as in: 'every year'.

Well, you say, at least tea has less caffeine than coffee. Yes and no. Tea leaves have about 1-3% caffeine by weight, more than twice as much as a similar weight of coffee beans. But, it's true that a prepared cup of coffee will have about 100mg of caffeine and tea only about 60mg. And, after all, people drink tea and coffee much more often than they eat the leaves or beans.

Beer, wine, coffee and tea all have health benefits some of which are the result of the very same compounds present in the drink. Antioxidants are present in both wine and tea. Caffeine, in moderate amounts, has been shown to have healthy effects.

But, let's face it. For most people it isn't history or economics or science or medicine that creates the huge, centuries-old and present-day demand for tea. Tea is simply wonderful to drink.

Whether you want a robust pick me up in the morning, or a relaxing hot cup at night, tea is - dare we say it - perfect. It clears out the cobwebs and at the same time relaxes. Iced or hot, green or black (or Oolong, which is in between), or even red or white (yes, they exist), tea tastes great and makes you feel wonderful.

Throughout history and up to the present day, drinking tea has been both a delightful experience and a social ceremony. Yes, people will certainly sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee or a mug of beer or glass of wine together.

But in very few cultures is there anything like a 'beer ceremony'. Ok, in a way there are, among college students. But, calling those 'ceremonies' is really stretching a point. Anyway, tea ceremonies aren't exclusive to Japan. In England it's practically an afternoon requirement. New York has clubs devoted to the fine art of tea.

East and west sometimes agree on very little. But all over the world - China, Turkey, Russia, Australia, the U.S. and the UK, and all the points on the map in between enjoy a cup of tea.

So wherever you are, you can now have a Wu Yi in a Yixing clay pot, or a Rooibos in a Danish glass cup. You can enjoy a lemon grass tisane or even a blueberry vanilla Ceylon. What you can't do, if you are among the over one billion tea drinkers in the world, is resist a perfectly brewed cup of the world's finest drink. Tea.

For the Love of Tea

People have enjoyed tea over the ages for its variety of natural flavors, and some cultures have enjoyed tea for the health benefits as well, and the rest of the world is just recently discovering that some teas are quite good for you. The different wonderful flavors coupled with these health benefits makes tea loved by many.

I am definitely one of the crowd of tea lovers, my cupboard is filled with about 30 different varieties including green tea for my morning cup of hot tea, black tea for my afternoon iced tea, a variety of naturally flavored herbal teas for night-time, and everything else in between including wheat tea and on a rare occasion rice tea.

Tea Gifts

Know a tea lover in your life? Then a tea gift is sure to please, and there are some lovely tea related gift ideas you could go with:

Tea gift baskets: You could buy or fix up a basket with your recipient's favorite teas, a cute little tea set, and some teacakes, and you've got an incredibly delightful gift.

Tea clubs: Joining a tea club is a great way to taste some of the exotic and gourmet varieties out there, and would be perfect as a gift for a tea drinker, and also perfect for yourself if you want to try out some new teas.

Tea sets: Get a unique tea set for the tea lover in your life and you should have no doubts as to whether your gift will be useful as well as enjoyed. If they like Asian decor, you might look for a traditional Japanese tea set, if they appreciate Victorian and romantic styles, then an antique flowery set might be just the thing.

Tea for Your Health

Recently, people everywhere are becoming more aware of the wonderful health benefits of some teas. Green tea and black tea contain those wonderful antioxidants that slow aging and help protect against cancer. It's not often that something so tasty is so good for you - so enjoy a cup of tea with no worries!

Our Favorite Spot for Tea

Adagio Teas - Free Shipping with $75 Purchase
Adagio carries a wide variety of teas including green, black, white, Oolong, herbal, Rooibos, and flavored tea.

Newest Articles

African Red Tea, Rooibos Tea House, Anti-Aging & Anti Oxidant Caffeine Alternatives
African Red Tea, Rooibos Tea House is finally available in a wide variety of retail and specialty grocery stores and chains. Responding to a health conscious public and to keep pace with the growing demand for a healthy caffeine alternative beverages, anti-oxidant blends have taken a front row position in mainstream markets and is brewing in health conscious kettles everywhere.

Herbal Tea – What's In A Name?
Herbal tea or tisane, which isn't actually made from the tea bush Camilla Sinensis, has been consumed for at least as long as the genuine article - over 5,000 years.

Flavored Tea, A Cornucopia
Cornucopia: 'A symbol of prosperity and affluence, dating back to the 5th century BC.' In modern parlance, 'a great many very good things'. And that exactly describes the flavored teas that are available today.

Decaf Tea
Decaf tea is a great addition to the tea tin. There are times when you don't need a pick-me-up, just a great tasting cup of tea. In fact, having tea often means the very opposite - taking a few minutes to relax, clear your mind and let the cares of the day flow away. A cup of decaffeinated tea can fit the bill very nicely.

White Tea, Delicacy Personified
White tea is made from the same plant as is green tea, but undergoes a very different process. It begins with the rolled buds of the Camellia Sinensis plant, but suffers no oxidation...

Yerba Mate, South American Delight
Tea is most commonly associated with Asia. And it's true that the majority of tea comes from China, India and other countries in that area. But there are other countries that have the climate, soil and expertise to produce a fine tea.

Tea - Variety is the Spice of Life
There are, fortunately for tea lovers, as many types and blends of tea as there are kinds of coffee. And, that's a delightfully high number!

Teaware Everywhere
If you can't find the kind of teaware online that suits your particular taste and needs, you should invent your own. The reason is simple: there is more variety in teapots, infusers, strainers, cups and more than there ever were add-ons for photography buffs.

"Tea first. Then be ready."

-Twin Peaks
Episode 5