Events & Competitions
{"id":115706180,"title":"It’s National Tea Day!","created_at":"2016-04-19T15:44:00+01:00","body_html":"\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e To celebrate Britain’s favourite drink, here are a few fun facts about the wonderful world of tea….\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0272\/6943\/files\/Blog-NationalTeaDayTeaField-1200x800px-min.jpg?v=1662381345\" alt=\"Tea field and house\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDid you know on average we drink 3 cups of tea a day in the UK?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat\u003c\/span\u003e’\u003cspan\u003es 165 million cups in total every day, and 60.2 billion cups a year! National Tea Day is a great opportunity to celebrate the little green leaf, but really every day is a tea day. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTea has been our drink of choice in Britain ever since the 18\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century, when it replaced ale and gin as the nation’s favourite beverage. However, tea has been enjoyed around the world for a lot longer than this, particularly in China where green tea is said to have originated over 5000 years ago. In fact the first tea to arrive in Europe was actually \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dragonflytea.com\/collections\/green-teas\" title=\"Dragonfly Tea Green Tea products\"\u003egreen tea\u003c\/a\u003e from China; drinking \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dragonflytea.com\/collections\/black-teas\" title=\"Black Tea products from Dragonfly Tea\"\u003eblack tea\u003c\/a\u003e with milk is a much newer concept that became popular in the 19\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century. Today we are once again seeing a surge of interest in tea as more people are discovering the huge variety of teas on offer – from green, to \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dragonflytea.com\/collections\/white-teas\" title=\"white tea products\"\u003ewhite tea\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dragonflytea.com\/collections\/puer-tea\"\u003epu'er tea\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dragonflytea.com\/collections\/rooibos-honeybush\" title=\"Rooibos tea products\"\u003erooibos tea\u003c\/a\u003e, there’s a tea out there for everyone and every taste.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0272\/6943\/files\/Blog-NationalTeaDayHistory-1200x800px-min.jpg?v=1662381378\" alt=\"Tea history images\"\u003e \n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe estimate there are over 5000 types of teas sourced from 1500 varieties of tea bush and endless options of blending, flavouring and tea making.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eG\u003cspan\u003ereen and black teas are actually made from the same plant, \u003cem\u003eCamellia Sinensis\u003cstrong\u003e,\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eof which there are thousands of sub-varieties. The best teas are typically grown at altitude. Once the leaves are picked, they are sorted and bruised and allowed to oxidise for varying amounts of time. To make black teas, the leaves are left to fully oxidise, darkening over time - the same process as an apple turning brown once you\u003c\/span\u003e’\u003cspan\u003eve taken a bite. Green teas and white teas however are barely oxidised at all and are dried soon after being picked, allowing them to retain their green colour and delicious light taste. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTea making is a hugely refined and intuitive craft, like winemaking or craft beer making, and great taste depends on provenance, growing conditions and variety of tea bush, but also on the way the oxidation process is controlled, often using artisan techniques passed down the generations.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0272\/6943\/files\/Blog-NationalTeaDayLeaves-1200x800px-min.jpg?v=1662381407\" alt=\"Tea growing traditions\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe ‘Tea break’ is a tradition that goes back around 200 years.\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTea is a huge part of British life, and more than just tasting great and having a long history, it is still the perfect drink for our time. In our increasingly busy lives, tea can give you the opportunity to come to together, whether for Afternoon Tea or just having a catch up with a friend. In fact 80% of office workers say they find out more about what's going on at work over a cup of tea than any other way. However, tea is special and a cup of tea is also a chance to take a moment for yourself; to catch your breath and enjoy the complex flavours that develop in the cup and allow the warm positive sense of wellbeing that is unique to tea to slow you down a little. A moment of calm – a true tea moment!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0272\/6943\/files\/Blog-NationalTeaDayGB-1200x800px-min.jpg?v=1662381429\" alt=\"The tea experts \"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eListen out for our tea expert!\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGeorgia Ginsberg is a director of Dragonfly tea and the 5th generation to inherit the family passion for tea – her great grandfather Benjamin Ginsberg was the founder of \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dragonflytea.com\/collections\/rooibos-honeybush\" title=\"rooibos tea\"\u003erooibos tea\u003c\/a\u003e and father Bruce Ginsberg started Dragonfly to bring to really varied good quality teas, including rooibos, chai tea and white tea, to a broader audience. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGeorgia will be sharing her knowledge of tea across the radio on National Tea Day, so be sure to listen out and learn more about our favourite drink! Follow us on \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dragonflytea\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Dragonfly Tea on Twitter\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003eTwitter\u003c\/a\u003e to find out more. #NationalTeaDay\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":3090709,"author":"Florence Summers-Aylett","user_id":42467065916,"published_at":"2016-04-21T10:30:00+01:00","updated_at":"2022-09-05T13:44:18+01:00","summary_html":"It's National Tea Day! Our favourite day of the year. Make yourself a cuppa and read some fun facts about tea here.","template_suffix":"","handle":"national-tea-day","tags":"spotlight, tea-life, type:Events \u0026 Competitions","image":{"created_at":"2020-12-01T09:47:24+00:00","alt":"Tea field view","width":800,"height":800,"src":"\/\/dragonflytea.com\/cdn\/shop\/articles\/Jasmine-800x800-min_f43f5fdd-769b-4d1e-9a0a-270739fe85cd.jpg?v=1662381451"}}
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/blogs/our-blog/national-tea-day
It's National Tea Day! Our favourite day of the year. Make yourself a cuppa and read some fun facts about tea here.
Tea Stories
{"id":13000829,"title":"Afternoon tea pairing guide","created_at":"2014-03-20T10:43:48+00:00","body_html":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eThe perfect teas to accompany afternoon tea. Particular teas work well with particular tea-time treats so if you’re baking for a special occasion then why not experiment with the type of teas you offer?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"margin-top: 30px; margin-bottom: 30px; float: none;\" alt=\"Afternoon Tea\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0272\/6943\/files\/Blog_AternoonTea_1200x800px-min.jpg?v=1643029906\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur \u003ca title=\"Swirling Mist white tea\" href=\"https:\/\/dragonflytea.com\/products\/swirling-mist-organic-white-tea\"\u003eSwirling Mist\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca title=\"Bai Mudan White Tea\" href=\"https:\/\/dragonflytea.com\/products\/luxury-leaf-bai-mudan-white-china-tea\"\u003eBai Mudan\u003c\/a\u003e white teas work well with chocolate based recipes such as brownies, cakes and cookies. Choose darker chocolate varieties (minimum 70% cocoa solids) for an even more delicious combination. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJasmine works perfectly with foods with a higher fat content. So try our \u003ca title=\"Jasmine Tea\" href=\"https:\/\/dragonflytea.com\/products\/moonlight-jasmine-organic-green-tea\"\u003eMoonlight Jasmine\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca title=\"Jasmine dragon pearls tea\" href=\"https:\/\/dragonflytea.com\/products\/jasmine-dragon-pearls-green-china-tea\"\u003eJasmine Dragon Pearls\u003c\/a\u003e teas with flapjacks, Danish pastries and other pastry based recipes. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf you’re baking scones or serving savoury sandwiches then go for our \u003ca title=\"Darjeeling black tea\" href=\"https:\/\/dragonflytea.com\/products\/luxury-leaf-darjeeling-black-tea\"\u003eDarjeeling\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca title=\"Classic earl grey tea\" href=\"https:\/\/dragonflytea.com\/products\/classic-earl-grey-organic-black-tea\"\u003eClassic Earl Grey\u003c\/a\u003e or \u003ca title=\"Traditional English Breakfast Tea\" href=\"https:\/\/dragonflytea.com\/products\/traditional-english-organic-breakfast-tea\"\u003eTraditional English Breakfast\u003c\/a\u003e tea. Or for caffeine free options try \u003ca title=\"Breakfast Rooibos Tea\" href=\"https:\/\/dragonflytea.com\/products\/breakfast-rooibos-tea\"\u003eRooibos\u003c\/a\u003e or \u003ca title=\"Earl Grey Rooibos Tea\" href=\"https:\/\/dragonflytea.com\/products\/earl-grey-rooibos-tea\"\u003eEarl Grey Rooibos\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOur refreshing \u003ca title=\"Moroccan Mint Tea\" href=\"https:\/\/dragonflytea.com\/products\/moroccan-mint-organic-green-tea\"\u003eMoroccan Mint tea\u003c\/a\u003e works perfectly with recipes incorporating honey and pistachios.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBanana bread, carrot cake and Dundee cake work particularly well when paired with our \u003ca title=\"Cape Malay Organic Spiced Rooibos Tea\" href=\"https:\/\/dragonflytea.com\/products\/cape-malay-organic-spiced-rooibos\"\u003eCape Malay Chai\u003c\/a\u003e. In fact any fruit based cakes and treats will work well with these teas because they enhance their luxurious spice notes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd to round off your afternoon tea extravaganza we recommend \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dragonflytea.com\/products\/digestive-puer-organic-fermented-tea\" title=\"Buy Organic Puerh - Dragonfly Tea\"\u003eDigestive Pu'er \u003c\/a\u003ewhich has been prized in China for over a thousand year as an aid to digestion.\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":3090709,"author":"Becky Maynard","user_id":23825924,"published_at":"2014-03-20T10:26:00+00:00","updated_at":"2024-10-02T15:51:13+01:00","summary_html":"Particular teas work well with particular tea-time treats so if you’re baking for a special occasion then why not experiment with the type of teas you offer?","template_suffix":"","handle":"afternoon-tea-pairing-guide","tags":"product-bai-mudan-white-tea, product-cape-malay-organic-spiced-rooibos, spotlight, type:Tea Stories","image":{"created_at":"2021-01-26T11:55:48+00:00","alt":"","width":600,"height":688,"src":"\/\/dragonflytea.com\/cdn\/shop\/articles\/Afternoon-Tea.jpg?v=1611662149"}}
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/blogs/our-blog/afternoon-tea-pairing-guide
Particular teas work well with particular tea-time treats so if you’re baking for a special occasion then why not experiment with the type of teas you offer?
