Tea

Tea is one of the most popular drinks in the world. It is made by soaking the leaves of a tea plant in hot water. Tea can be warm or cold, sweet or plain. There are many kinds, like black, green, and white tea. People have been drinking tea for thousands of years.

Where Tea Comes From

Tea plants grow best in warm, wet places. China, India, and Sri Lanka grow lots of tea. Workers pick the small green leaves by hand. The leaves are then dried in special ways. How they are dried makes the tea taste different.

An old drawing of a tea plant with its leaves and flowers.
An old drawing of a tea plant with its leaves and flowers. (Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen / Wikimedia Commons)

Tea Around the World

In China, tea has been a drink for over 4,000 years. In England, people love tea with milk and sugar. Japan has a special tea ceremony. In India, people drink chai, which is tea with milk and spices. Iced tea is very popular in the American South.

Fun Facts

  • Tea is the second most popular drink in the world, after water.
  • A Chinese emperor is said to have found tea by accident over 4,000 years ago.
  • There are more than 1,500 kinds of tea.

Did You Know?

The Boston Tea Party in 1773 was a famous event where Americans threw tea into the sea to protest British taxes.