A Cup With History: International Tea Day — May 21
- Erin MacNab
- May 2
- 1 min read
Before coffee became a personality, there was tea. And on May 21, the world pauses to appreciate it properly.
According to legend, tea was discovered nearly 5,000 years ago when leaves from a tree blew into Emperor Shen Hung's pot of boiling water. He liked what he tasted. Billions of people have agreed with him ever since.
Tea is the preferred beverage for millions around the world, with roughly 2.16 billion cups consumed every single day. It is, after water, the most consumed drink on the planet. And yet for most of history, no one thought to give it its own day.
That changed in 2005, when tea-producing nations including Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, and Uganda banded together to celebrate an informal International Tea Day each December. It was a quiet observance, mostly among the countries whose economies depend on it. Then in 2019, the movement went global. The UN approved the proposal on December 21, 2019, moving the date to May 21 and making it an official international observance.
The reason behind the day matters as much as the celebration. Its goals align with UN sustainability aims — reducing extreme poverty, empowering women, and protecting ecosystems — because tea isn't just a comforting ritual. For millions of smallholder farmers around the world, it's a livelihood.
So on May 21, put the kettle on. Try something you've never had before. And maybe think about where it came from.
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