Green tea originated over 5000 years ago in ancient China - when the Emperor Shen Nung who was boiling water under a tree found leaves falling into the bowl producing what he found was a refreshingly delicious drink.

With the Emperor's blessing, the consumption of green tea spread quickly throughout China, infusing (excuse the pun) Chinese culture and reaching every aspect of society.

As the cultivation of herbal and green tea, including their preparation began to take shape, in 800AD Lu Yu, who had become known as the Sage of Tea compiled his monumental book The Classic of Teas, which was the first work that expanded upon the cultivation, manufacture and drinking of tea. But it was actually in Japan, where a Buddhist priest called Yeisei associated tea with Buddhism, elevating the craft of tea to an art form and leading to the development of the Japanese tea ceremony.

Tea first arrived In Australia with the original fleet in 1788. It was not long before tea had become an imported staple with everyone drinking tea. The first commercial tea plantation in Australia was established in 1884. By 2000, Australians were consuming 14,000 tonnes of tea every year, including herbal and green tea, and in 2014 Tea Time was born...

This weekend we were fortunate enough to partake in a private tour of the Wildlife Hospital at Australia Zoo.

Tea Time is a proud sponsor of this facility, with many customers choosing the Wildlife Warriors for their Chari-Tea donation.

Shari, the Development Manager at the Hospital was our tour guide for the day and her benevlolence was unquestionable . We were taken around the facility and saw everything from the Animal ICU to the Koala Kindergarten. We were happy to see that our funds were being used to purchase formula to feed sick koalas.

Some fun facts for our customers who are considering the Wildlife Warriors as their next Chari-Tea donation:

Up to 100 wildlife emergency calls are received dailyUp to 30 different species are admitted to the hospital daily An average of 70 koalas come through the hospital every monthApproximately 70% of patients are victims of car accidents or domestic pet attacksThe cost to treat one animal ranges from $380 - $1500 and up to $5000 for one koalaThere are over 70 volunteers working at the hospital