Celebrate International Tea Day with your favourite brew

It’s a big day in many tea-producing countries, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda, India and Tanzania among others. Apart from water, tea is the most popular beverage in the world, and while International Tea Day celebrates the drink, it also hopes to highlight the inequalities of the tea trade around the world.

In 2019, when a proposal was submitted to the UN, the big brew celebration was officially given the date of May 21, however, most tea-producing countries around the world still acknowledge December 15, as well as the day earlier in the year. Any excuse for the cuppa we say!

Because of the large number of tea drinkers in the world, tea demands a massive production scale. Unfortunately, in many tea-producing countries, production comes with many challenges. Some of the obstacles tea-producing countries face include low wages, lack of medical care, as well as a need for improved sanitation on tea plantations. Try a tea you’ve never had before and look into picking up some Fairtrade tea, which means the producers receive a minimum price for their tea. Fairtrade is part of an international coalition to address the low wages in the tea industry.

Three ways to celebrate

1. Try a new flavour: From mint to apple, to a whole fusion of assorted ingredients, try a new tea flavour!
2. Host a tea party: Round up the gang and host a tea party. You can prepare different blends of tea or even have a theme like Alice in Wonderland or a traditional vintage English tea party. Think scones, jam and fresh, clotted cream, paired with cucumber finger sandwiches and of course, plenty of tea.
3. Learn about your local tea producers: It’s good to learn about how your favourite tea blend is sourced and produced. If a company’s policies are not fair to their workers, you may want to switch to a different brand.

It's all history

In the 16th century, tea made its way across the globe to Europe by Dutch traders, where it became a widely traded commodity thanks to the establishment of the East India Company in England. The rest, as they say, is history. Other than its taste and benefits, tea’s contributions to culture and socioeconomic development are just as relevant. Grown in over 35 countries, the cultivation of tea supports the livelihoods of over 13 million people.

Perfect biscuits for dunking

Delicately thin and crispy biscuits, smothered in a layer of luxuriously smooth chocolate, McVitie’s Thins are simply a slimmed down version of the world-renowned chocolate digestive. The nation’s crunchiest companion, turned into delightfully delicate biscuits — great for those counting calories — yet still topped with just enough dark chocolate to keep them wonderfully “dunkable”. Go on, you know you want to. Dunking releases more flavour from biscuits by dissolving the sugars, while also softening the texture. When you dunk, the chocolate melts on the biscuit, creating a richer flavour. We say, “go for it”!