1. All about Tea

2.  Tea is over 5000 years old  Legend has it that it was discovered by a Chinese emperor when some tea leaves accidently blew into a boiling pot of water

3.  Tea consumption spread throughout ever aspect of the society  First definitive book on tea introduced “Ch’a Ching”  Authored in 800 A.D. by Lu Yu who was raised by Buddhist monks

4.  First brought to Japan by Buddhist priest  Thought to enhance religious meditation  Tea has always been associated with Zen Buddhism

5.  Word filtered to Europe in 1560  Trade developed  Very fashionable with a high cost ($100 a pound)  Argued positive and negative affects of tea  Became a way of life

6.  From 1699 to 1708 tea imports rose from 40,000 pounds to 240,000.  Prior to intro of tea, English had 2 main meals ◦ Breakfast- ale, bread and beef ◦ Dinner-long massive meal at the end of the day

7.  First to have a tea party  Adopted the European tea service ◦ Small cakes ◦ Bread and butter sandwiches ◦ Assorted sweets ◦ Tea  Around 5 in the afternoon

8.  Expanded to include: ◦ crust-less sandwiches ◦ shrimp or fish pates ◦ Toasted breads with jams ◦ Scones ◦ Crumpets

9.  “Low tea” (served in the low part of the afternoon) Wealthy folks, tidbits and high level conversation  “high tea” (high or main meal of the day) middle and lower class and consisted of full dinner-roast beef, potatoes, and tea.

10.  Invented by the Dutch  Outside  Music  Allowed women to enter mixed public places  Mixed freely without class consideration

11.  Boxes where coins could be deposited  Helped ensure proper service

12.  English colonist became aware of tea in 1670 in Boston  In 1720 tea was a general staple among colonists  Tea trade was centered in Boston, New York and Philadelphia  Smuggled because of tax and rebellion

13.  To rebel colonists began to openly purchase imported Dutch tea  The Boston Tea Party happened because the colonist got mad about the British imposed Tea Tax and threw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor

14.  Black-fermented (open air aging process) and has a strong flavor  Green tea-skips the oxidizing step, delicate in taste, thought to improve health, reduce cancer risk  Oolong- popular in China-cross between black and green ◦ Herbal Tea has no tea leaves it is made up of flowers, berries, peels, seeds and roots

15.  Infuser- small container with holes in it to let water in and contain tea  Steep- brew water just below boiling point  Stir

16.  Iced tea was served 1904 at the St. Louis World’s Fair by Richard Blechynden  No one wanted hot tea because of a heat wave  To save his investment he dumped ice into his brewed tea  Hit of the fair  1908 Thomas Sullivan developed the marketing concept of “bagging tea” gave away as free samples

17.  Began in 1880’s at fine hotels as a hallmark of elegance ◦ Ritz Carlton in Boston ◦ Plaza Hotel in New York  First happy hour happened in 1910 because folks wanted to dance and

18.  The safety of caffeine has been debated for thousands of years  American Medical Association, American Cancer Society and FDA agree that moderate use is safe  Moderate use is usually defined as 300 milligrams per day.

19.  Caffeine is a stimulant  Helps people feel alert  Side effects may include sleeplessness and temporary rise in blood pressure  Concern over young teen not getting enough calcium because they substitute sodas for milk

20.  People in the US average about 200 mg per day  For adults coffee is the main source  For teens it is soft drinks

21. ProductServing SizeCaffeine (mg) Coffee, brewed8 oz60-180 Coffee, instant8 oz30-120 Coffee, decaf8 oz1-5 Tea, brewed, US8 oz20-90 Tea, brewed, import8 oz25-110 Tea, iced12 oz14-75 Chocolate milk8 oz2-7 Cocoa beverage8 oz3-32 Soft drinks12 oz20-60 Milk chocolate1 oz1-15 Dark chocolate, semi1 oz5-35

22.  Hard to know how much you are getting  When it occurs naturally, doesn’t need to be listed on the label  If added it must be listed on the label  Products are not required to list the amount of caffeine in the product

23.  Cut back gradually  Eliminating all at once can cause side effects such as:  Headaches  Fatigue  Drowsiness  Restlessness  Irritability  Usually last a couple of days