TEA TRENDS

Chinees Tea Pot Photo by danielygo / CC BY Taiwanese Bubble Tea with Tapioca Photo by lukevu / CC BY Tea Bags Photo by André Karwath / CC BY

TRENDS Tea has integrated into different cultures around the world for over 1,500 years. Today tea is by far the 2nd most consumed beverage in the world. (1st is water) It almost became a trend to see newly opened tea shops around the corner everywhere. But what is tea? It depends on where you live. There are different tea recipes adapted to a place's history and culture. In Asia, tea ceremony tradition is deeply rooted that is still highly respected. In other countries, on the other hand, tea might simply be a refreshing beverage to enjoy. There are too many tea recipes that you can find on the internet today; however, traditional tea recipes always have their own unique ingredients and tea-wares associate with their origin. For example, tea in Tibet is commonly made with salt and butter, or another one will be Taiwanese milk tea which usually served with tapioca, a chewy starch. Our team will investigate these unique tea recipes and their beautiful story behind it. TEA BAGS Although tea bags were invented earlier in China's Tang dynasty, it did not became popular until first introduced to the western world in the early 20th c. by Thomas Sullivan. Tea bag invention had promote tea consumption around the world because it is convenient and a lot cheaper than loose tea. However it also lowers the quality of tea while most tea bags are usually using the dust of tea leaves or "fannings," the lowest grade of tea.   TEA VS. COFFEE Today, we all choose food and beverage based on health. Many nutritionists will definitely recommend tea over coffee because of it is caffeine-free and contain anti-oxidants. Check out this infographic called "The Health Benefits of Coffee vs. Tea."