15 December: International Tea Day

It's International Tea Day. Put the kettle on and peruse these ten facts about tea which you may not have known:

1. Tea was first discovered in China, and was originally chewed for medicinal purposes rather than drunk. According to legend, the drink was discovered when some leaves from tea bushes accidentally blew into a pot of Water being boiled for Emperor Shen Nong to drink, back in 2737BC. He drank it anyway, and liked it.
2. There were two different words for tea in different parts of China - "te" or "cha". The word used for tea in modern languages tells you which part of China that country originally got its tea from.
3. Tea is the second most consumed drink in the world, after water. Over 3 billion cups are consumed worldwide each year. That British people like tea is something of a stereotype, but they do drink about 165 million cups of tea a day, or 62 billion cups per year in the UK. Even so, the UK is not the country which drinks the most tea per capita. That is the Republic of Ireland. Even the USA, where tea declined in popularity after the Boston Tea Party, they consume 1.42 million pounds of tea a day.
4. When tea was first introduced to Britain it was sold in Coffee houses, which women were not allowed to frequent. In 1717, the Twining family opened the Golden Lyon, a teashop that women could go to. The shop is still open today.
5. There are six basic types of tea - Black, White, Green, Yellow, oolong and post-fermented. All of these come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. What makes the difference is what they do to the leaves when they've harvested them - such as how long they are allowed to dry before being packed up. Herbal teas aren't technically teas, but tisanes.
6. The most expensive tea in the world is a rare Chinese oolong tea called Tieguanyin. Named after the Buddhist deity Guan Yin, a pound of it will set you back around $1,500.
7. Tea bags were invented in the United States in 1904. The most expensive teabag is a handcrafted diamond teabag made by Boodles jewellers to raise money for charity. It contains 280 diamonds and is worth $15,250. The largest, according to Guinness World Records, was 9.8 feet wide by 13 feet high and weighed over 551 pounds. This record was created in Saudi Arabia in 2014.
8. Solid blocks of tea were used as currency in Siberia until the 19th century.
9. Over 3 million tons of tea is produced every year worldwide. China is the world’s largest producer of tea. In 2009, China produced 1,359,000 tonnes; India came second with 979,000 tonnes.
10. There are other uses for tea besides drinking it. You can use it to dye cloth, marinate meat, clean floors, or rub it on the skin to keep Mosquitoes away. Its also said to help heal small cuts like nicks from shaving. Used tea leaves are also a useful addition to a compost heap as not only are they full of nutrients that Roses love, they speed up the process of decomposition of the rest of the compost materials.

And now...

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A Very Variant Christmas

Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.

The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?

Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.

Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.

Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.

Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.

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