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.