Q
As he was forced into the lifeboat and cast adrift, which stern naval captain shouted at his crew, "You'll hang for this! I'll have my revenge — and my tea!"
A
Captain William Bligh. In fact, while cruelty and rotten hardtack might have been tolerated on the H.M.S. Bounty, when Captain Bligh tried to ration the sweet tea, mutiny was inevitable. As the ship hoisted sail, the crew hoisted their glasses, and Mr. Christian, now in command, was heard to shout, "All hands around a glass of ice cold tea!"
Q
Who was the first physician to formulate the philosophy "First do no harm...Sit down and refresh with a glass of sweet tea, because sweet tea makes everybody feel a whole lot better."
A
While some have believed this healing advice is part of the Hippocratic oath, others cite the writings of the Roman physician Galen, who also advocated the alignment of the body's "humours" and so naturally prescribed sweet tea on a daily basis—because everybody knows sweet tea is the best way to keep everybody in a good humor!
Q
What famous British poet penned Ode on a Grecian Tea Urn?
A
John Keats, who wrote, "Heard melodies are sweet but a glass of ice cold tea is sweeter." Mary Shelley, the wife of Keats' good friend Percy Shelley, wrote her famous novel Frankenstein after a nightmare she had about running out of sweet tea. "Monstrous!" she cried. "Absolutely inhuman!" And thus a classic was born, and a classic was poured—sweet tea to toast a great literary success!
Q
After his defeat at Waterloo, which French general said, "Exile me if you wish, but with enough sweet tea, I'll be back to conquer the world!"
A
Napoleon Bonaparte may have been a pint-sized emperor, but he liked his sweet tea by the gallon. (He also kept a flask of sweet tea inside his coat. What do you think he was reaching for in all those portraits?)
Q
Which 19th century thespian poured out her soul and had gallons of sweet tea poured for her in stage performances throughout the world?
A
Sarah Bernhardt, once the world's most famous actress, was quite the drama queen when her sweet tea ran low. "Romeo, Romeo!" she exclaimed. "Wherefore art thou? Why haven't you brought me more tea?"
Q
What famous American landmark is inscribed with the words "Bring us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses yearning to drink tea"?
A
In the original design for the Statue of Liberty, Lady Liberty was supposed to hold aloft a large glass of sweet tea. It was only a mix up in the shipping that ended with a torch as a replacement. Still, Americans harbor no illusions: LiberTea is our gold standard!
Q
What revered Chinese philosopher and thinker wrote Tao of Tea?
A
Lao Tzu knew that even with all the tea in China, man's thirst for knowledge — and for sweet tea — was destined to be an eternal quest. A puzzled student once asked Lao Tzu whether daytime or nighttime was the best time to drink tea. "It’s easy to get confucious, young one," he replied. "But it’s really very simple: Anytime is the best time to enjoy sweet tea!"
