Tea Facts #1

#1 For centuries, tea was used only as a medicine. It took almost 3,000 years for it to become an everyday drink. Legend has it that tea was discovered accidentally when a leaf fell in the Chinese emperor's bowl.

#2 In Ancient China, tea was a form of currency. Tea leaves were pressed into a brick. One side was scored so that it could easily be broken if change was needed.

#3 Thomas Sullivan created small silk bags to give samples of tea to his customers. Some of them thought that the bags were supposed to be put directly in the tea pot, thus, the tea bag was created by accident!

#4 Tea was so expensive that it was kept in a locked tea chest. The lady of the house was responsible for the tea and was often the only person with the key for the lock.

#5 Afternoon Tea began in the 1800s by Anna, the seventh Duchess of bedford. She invited guests for tea and sweets to fill in the long gap between breakfast and dinner.