Ten amazing facts you never knew about tea

If you're like most Brits than there's nothing like a good cuppa to get the day started, or indeed to unwind with in front of the box. But what most people don't realise is that the tea they're drinking has a remarkable history.

Tea has been used to symbolise everything from politic dissent, to a tool to suppress women's rights and, even at one point, was thought to cause over heating of the internal organs.

Thankfully, those ill-informed days are behind us and today tea is enjoyed by billions around the world. But while the doom-sayers failed to put Britons off their cuppas, we are in fact not the biggest consumers of tea.

Turkey tops the list of the biggest tea-drinkers (by personal consumption per kg) and our Celtic neighbours, Ireland, come in as the second biggest consumers. American's are also partial to a brew - but they prefer it on the rocks with a sugary iced concoction. But no nation can beat China for the shear numbers that enjoy putting the kettle on.

Tea forms a big part of the Chinese cultural identity, with everything from wedding ceremonies to sharing endless refills with friends and family during mealtimes. And this love along with the rest of the world makes tea the most popular beverage on the planet.