17th March, 2008: Irish Tea Facts
Ireland may not be known for its love of tea, but the under-rated inhabitants of this country enjoy their tea in abundance. They also like it strong.
So, before you associate the Irish with green beer, consider this little known fact: Ireland arguably has the highest per capita consumption of tea in the world. That’s the word from Pat Friend who has written about this love affair with tea for AllAboutIrish.com. We didn’t believe it either at first, which is why we researched the matter further. Here’s what we learned: although the #1 spot may be debated, year after year the Irish are, indeed, among the top six tea-sipping countries in the world with an average daily consumption ranging from 1.5 kg of tea to 3.2 kg. That’s approximately three to six cups per person per day!
As Friend noted, “Ireland’s close ties to tea have their roots in the country’s history as a part of the British Empire.” The love affair with the beverage began when tea was first imported in 1835 and the preference continues to be for tea that is strong and black. Which explains the saying, “a good Irish cup of tea is strong enough for a mouse to trot on.”
To learn more about Ireland and its tea preferences, view Friends’ full article here.
Posted by Brenda at 6:00 am |
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