History of Tea
Tea drinking originates from China several thousand years
ago and the story goes that a few leaves of the Camellia
plant accidentally fell into some boiling water. The
resulting infusion was then drunk by the Chinese Emperor
Shen Nung who found it highly palatable, and the concept of
tea drinking was born.
Later it was introduced to Japan and then it found its way
over to Europe via the Dutch and the Portuguese during the
17th Century. It wasn't until 1662 when Charles II married
Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese princess with a passion
for tea, that tea drinking became fashionable and spread
throughout Britain, but as it was so expensive at the time
it was only available to the upper classes. Finally in the
early 18th Century, the taxes on tea were reduced and tea
became accessible to everyone.
Today, tea is arguably the most popular beverage in the
world and indeed, Britain is especially renowned for being
a nation of tea drinkers.
What is a Tea Urn ?
A tea turn can be described as a metal container which is
used to brew tea or to boil large quantities of water for
making tea or coffee. The container has a small tap or
spigot near the bottom of the container which allows the
liquid to pass out of the container and into the cups or
tea pots.
Tea urns can be an extremely useful item for village halls,
fetes, coffee mornings, catering establishments, work
offices, barbecues, rallies, concerts, or basically any
type of function, venue or event that requires the
provision of refreshments for large numbers of people. A
standard tea urn that is capable of holding 20 litres of
water can provide tea for up to 120 people in one sitting.
Electric tea urns are more common if a function is to be
held indoors but where there is no source of power such as
at an outdoor concert or rally, then gas powered tea urns
can be used.
Advantages of using a tea urn
- No need to constantly boil and re-boil a kettle
- Can cater for large numbers of people with a minimum of
fuss
- No need to serve hundreds of people individually as it
allows for self catering if required as people can help
themselves
- Cost effective to use
- Saves on energy
Safety considerations
The main safety consideration is the risk of scalding so
the position of the tea urn has to be thought out carefully
beforehand. Never try to move a tea urn whilst it is filled
with water and make sure that the tap is inaccessible to
small children. It is also important to ensure that the
container is cleaned properly after use in order to prevent
any build up of bacteria.
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If you are a tea enthusiast or serve tea when catering for
events, you could use tea urns as an efficent serving &
storage device.
http://www.hygienesuppliesdirect.com/sub/tea_urns
