Tea Time!

By FPL_Staff

How about a nice cup of tea? Did you know tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world next to water?

Tea comes from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Without harvesting its leaves, a tea tree can grow up to 52 feet tall! The classification of teas stem from the manufacturing process, resulting in three categories: fermented (black), unfermented (green), and semifermented (oolong or pouchong).

There may be some medicinal benefits to drinking tea, but at the very least, drinking tea can help deter dehydration!

Hot Tea Brewing Tips

Start with fresh filtered water if possible. Heat the water to boiling for all tea types. After the water comes to a boil, pour it over the tea.

Steep Times

Green tea: 1 minute

White tea: 7–10 minutes

Black tea: whole leaf 5 minutes, broken leaf 3 minutes, tea bags 1 or 2 minutes, flavored black tea 5 minutes

Oolong: 5–7 minutes

Rooibos: 5 minutes

Check out these library titles on the history, culture, and health benefits of tea:

A History of Tea

The hot tea brewing tips above, came from this book. Find more helpful tips while enjoying a bit of history, and a cup of hot tea, with this fascinating read.

Infused

Find delicious tea recipes while reading about Lovell’s travels to find the perfect cup of tea.

Visit these websites below for more fun facts about tea!

Tea Fact Sheet 2022, opens a new window 

10 Fun Facts About Tea, opens a new window

Britannica: Tea, opens a new window