National Tea Day

The story

Founded in 2016, National Tea Day is celebrated on April 21, coinciding with Queen Elizabeth's birthday.

While the Chinese are credited with inventing tea, it was Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza who made it a staple in England. In 1662, when Catherine married King Charles II, she brought crates of loose-leaf tea with her. She drank it daily, and soon the royal court followed her lead, turning tea into a British tradition.

National Tea Day aims to encourage tea-drinking year-round, though we can’t help but think of the iconic British afternoon tea. The tradition was introduced by the Duchess of Bedford, Anna Russell, in the 1840s to curb hunger between meals. She shared the idea with friends, and it quickly gained popularity among the aristocracy.

Tea comes in many forms around the world. Green tea is enjoyed in China and Japan, while South Asian countries make spiced ‘chai.’ In Pakistan and Afghanistan, pink tea, or ‘Kashmiri tea,’ is served at weddings. In the UK, a classic cuppa is black tea with boiling water and a splash of milk.

As Henry James once said, “There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to afternoon tea.”