There are few things more relaxing than kicking back after a long day with a hot mug of tea, but how much do you really know about the brew that you’re sipping? From its numerous health benefits to its rich, global history, there’s a whole lot to learn about this fascinating beverage!

• Tea bags were originally designed in the early 1800s. They were created to hold samples of tea brought to America from India. Today, tea bags are much more commonly used than loose-leaf varieties.
• Darjeeling tea is the world’s rarest tea. It gets its name because it's grown in the Indian region of Darjeeling. While many types of teas are labeled Darjeeling, only 1/4 are actually from the region!
• While tea styles like black, green, white, and oolong taste very distinct, they all come from the same Camellia sinensis plant. It's the way the leaves are harvested and treated that determines their color and variety.
• Herbal teas are not really teas at all. Rather, they're infused fruits, flowers, plants, and herbs.
• China is the world’s largest tea producer. The country supplies 29% of the tea in the world. India comes in a close second.
• The Chinese are not the world’s largest tea consumers. That title belongs to the United Arab Emirates!

Tea Facts from A to Z: 26 Things You Didn’t Know About Tea [Fine Dining Lovers]
Tea Fact Sheet – 2014 [Tea Association]
10 Interesting Facts About Tea — Iron Chef America Ingredients 101 [Food Network]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr Ashwin KC

Instead of tossing out those household items that seemingly have no use anymore, give them new life by repurposing them into something useful. This not only helps you to save a bit of cash, it also helps to reduce your waste production and show a little love to our environment. Here are a few fun DIYs for making over unwanted household items!

1. Turn empty condiment bottles into squeeze bottles for dispensing pancake batter. Just make sure you thoroughly clean them out first—no one wants to eat ketchup-flavored pancakes!
2. Turn an ornate vintage picture frame into a vanity tray. Simply add a pretty fabric instead of a photo, lie it flat, and fill it with perfume bottles, makeup, and more.
3. Clean the fine “hairs” out of corn on the cob by using a dry toothbrush that you don’t use anymore.
4. Hang an old rake upside down and use it as a rustic necklace holder.
5. Portion toddler snacks perfectly by filling the cubes in an ice cube tray. They are the perfect size for berries, pretzels, cheese cubes, and chocolate candies.
6. Purchase a vintage window shutter from a garage sale or thrift store and use it to display important memos, mail, and photographs. Simply clip wooden clothespins along the slats and even add S-shaped hooks for keys.

50 All-Time Favorite New Uses for Old Things [RealSimple]
6 New Uses for Old Things [Country Living]
25 New Ways to Use Your Old Stuff [HGTV]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr garofalo.christina

May your day be touched with a little bit of the luck of the Irish!