Tea: It's Totally Normal!

Did you know? Tea is the world’s most widely consumed beverage after water. Billions of people are drinking tea every day all over the globe. Here’s the good news: if you drink tea, you’re with the in-crowd!!

Not only is tea hip, it’s good for your health too. Tea is rich in antioxidants, which can prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease. And tea has many many other health benefits too. So tea is good for you!


Who drinks tea?

Tea is not just for dainty little ladies drinking tea with their pinkies out. No, no, it's much more than that. Well, okay, maybe the flower-patterned tea cups with saucers are kind of dainty, and cute, but it's cool. So there.

Actually, many highly esteemed people drink tea:

Royalty drinks tea. In ancient China, many teas became so-called "tribute teas", and were sent to the imperial court. Even Chinese emperors, like Hui Zong Zhao Ji of the Song Dynasty were famous tea people. In fact, he personally wrote a book on tea.

Modern scholars versed in the classics drink tea. Ancient scholars also drank tea; many of whom actually authored some of the tea classics.

Poets drink tea. And tea is the subject of their poetry. Ancient poets also drank tea. And tea was also the subject of much of their poetry. Famous Chinese poets like Li Bai, Du Fu, Du Mu, Bai Ju Yi, Su Dong Po and Wang An Shi all wrote tea poems.

Philosophers drink tea. Ancient philosophers like Zhu Xi were serious about tea.

Artists drink tea. Tea is the subject or theme of their paintings, both in modern and ancient times.

Tea drinkers do great things for society. For example, they collect tea utensils, which are loaned or donated to museums and art galleries.

Not only that, the average joe drinks tea, peasants drink tea, moms drink tea, dads drink tea, kids drink tea. Everyone is drinking tea!! And why not? It's normal to drink tea. Tea is cool.

In fact, tea drinkers are revered as gods! Lu Yu, who wrote the first book on tea, "The Classic of Tea", was worshipped as the "God of Tea" in the Tang Dynasty. Back in the day, tea merchants had statues made in the likness of Lu Yu. And when business was bad, they would pour boiling water over him as punishment! Ouch!! That's gotta hurt!

I drink tea, and why not? Whenever I drink tea, I'm proud of myself; because I feel like I'm up there with the big guys. Imagine me, sharing tea with ancient Chinese scholars. Magnificent!

So what are you waiting for? Are you drinking your tea yet?

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