There are several legends that tell the origin of tea, some say that leaves accidentally fell inside a cup of hot water producing a special liquor, while others say the tea plant grew from a monk cutting his eyelids and throwing them in the ground. However tea was discovered, it is a gift to humanity! Asians have luckily been enjoying tea for thousands of years now, while it only got to the western world around the 17th century thanks to the Portuguese who encountered it in China.

As surprising as it may sound for some, tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water.

Watch this great short video about tea history by TED-ed.