The virtues of tea and the perils of hot drinks

Since the Dutch went to China (or possibly Japan) and discovered the medicinal drink of tea, it has come an awfully long way.

The British were introduced to it by the Dutch and Charles II's wife (who was actually Portuguese) made it popular. In 1664 the English East India Company brought the gift of tea to the British king and queen. In the same year the British took over New Amsterdam, named it New York, and the British tea tradition began.

Tea has been called the drink of Britain in spite of the fact that almost none is grown in the UK. (There is at least one small tea growing farm in Cornwall.) It has been the beverage that fuelled the growth of empire.

Tea has been in the news again recently, it appears that regular consumption of tea may boost your memory (BBC story here) and reduce the effects of Alzheimer's disease.

If the health benefits are what you are looking for then Green tea is the way to. If like me nothing gets you started in the morning like a cup of tea then it's the black leaf every time and this still has some protective effects on the brain.

Black tea or traditional English breakfast tea, is derived from the same plant as green tea, Camellia sinensis, but has a different taste and appearance because it is fermented.

Hot tea can kill!
But now there is shock news from Iran that drinking your tea too hot can increase the risk of throat cancer! It appears that if you regularly drink tea that is hotter than 70 degress C, it increases the risk of throat cancer. This thought to be because of the repeated damage to the cells in the throat from the heat of the liquid. In Iran, tea is typically drunk black i.e. with no milk. In Britain, most people add milk and this is enough to lower the temperature to around 60 degrees C.

More tea Vicar? Splash of milk? Lovely!