5 Tea facts that are wrong!
We’ve all been there when someone who thinks they know everything tells you their version of facts…only problem is their version of facts are 100 percent wrong. So here at UKVending we wanted to put some of these old wives tales right, so here goes with 5 ‘facts’ about tea that are WRONG.
1 – Herbal ‘tea’ is tea
Okay, we may be accused of being a little pedantic here but Herbal teas such as Peppermint, camomile, strawberry or any other rustically promoted ‘teas’ are not tea but an infusion as they are not actually made with the use of tea leaves. The key difference between a tea and an infusion is the lack of caffeine and Camellia sinensis and in many countries the word ‘tea’ can only be used to describe those made with leaves of Camellia sinensis.
2 – Green tea is the healthiest kind of tea
Green tea and black tea both contain the same amount of antioxidants and minerals as each other; ultimately it comes down to which flavour you prefer.
3 – Adding milk ruins tea’s health benefits
To those who think that adding a splash of milk into your tea destroys the healthy benefits of drinking tea – you’re wrong. The tea retains the same amount of catechins – antioxidants with or without milk. In fact having milk could be better as it contains a valuable source of calcium and as 98 percent of people around the world take their tea whitened it’s probably a good thing.
4 – Tea Breaks are a modern thing in the Western World.
Well sorry to burst your bubble on this one too. The first recorded tea breaks were recorded at the start of the industrial revolution over 200 years ago. Employees were given a short break from their toils from the back breaking work to consume food and drink at the start of their day usually around 5am. Then as now employers tried to put a stop to this practice by claiming that their workers became slothful. Today, health and safety regulations ensure that all employees get adequate breaks for refreshments.
5 – The British invented the tea bag.
As a British firm we at UKVending wish we could claim this one for the nation, but we have to doff our caps to our Trans Atlantic cousins for this one. The American tea merchant Thomas Sullivan in 1908 sent samples of his teas to clients in small silken bags. Someone, somewhere then put the entire bag into boiling water and so the tea bag was invented, completely and utterly by accident. There are, however, some people who assert that we British took the bag and made it into a triangle.