How much is it consumed ?
Tea is the most consumed drink in the World after Water and is a beverage prepared with Fresh or processed Leaves of Camellia Sinensis Shrub. It is most commonly grown in Asia and East Asia regions of the World.
Types of Tea
Tea can be divided into following types and how it is processed :
White: wilted (loss of rigidity when a leaf is plucked) and unoxidised, Yellow: unwilted and unoxidized, Green: unwilted and unoxidized, Oolong: wilted, bruised and partially oxidized, Black: wilted, crushed and fully oxidized- it is called Red Tea in China
Tea is a Health Drink :
Tea is more of a health drink not just something that is used for refreshing oneself.
Tea contains many antioxidants and Polyphenols are the ones that repair the cells and helps us fight Osteoporsis, Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases among others.
Green Tea is not the only tea good for health, others namely Black, White and Red have many health benefits too
Tea Production and World Market :
Tea making is a tedious process as more than 2000 tea leaves are required to make just 450 Grams of Tea.
That is a lot of hard work as it is done manually. And the Tea is made from the leaves of a plant called Camellia Sinensis Palnt.
The Global Tea Market was $55 billion in 2019 which is approximately whereas the World Coffee Market stood $102 billion in 2019, that is half the market value of coffee but the point to be noted here is that Tea is World’s second most consumed drink after Water.
Biggest producers of Tea :
Overall around 6 million tons of Tea is produced in 1 year across the Globe.
Like in many industries and products, China happens to be the biggest producer of Tea as well. China produces more than 2 million tons of tea per year.
Tea is very important drink in Chinese culture but mostly Tea without Milk like Green Tea and the most popular Tea of China are Chinese Green Tea and Oolong Tea.
Chinese were the first discover and adopt Tea as drink.
India, where tea is an integral part of every family and is offered to every guest in personal and professional set up is the 2nd most Tea producing country in the world. Tea is popularly called ‘Chai’ in India and is loved by all.
India is land of Tea Drinkers like America is a land of Coffee fans. India produces anywhere between 1 to 1.5 million tons of Tea every year.
Such is the high demand for Tea in India and so many people consume the same that more than 50% of the Tea Produced in India is consumed in India.
Though Kenya is the 3rd largest Tea Producer of the World after China and India still it is the biggest exporter of the Black Tea and ranks No.1 in Tea exports.
Other Countries that are popular for tea production are Vietnam, Turkey and Myanmar.
The biggest consumers of tea in the World has a population of 1/15th of India :
The per capita consumption of tea is highest in Turkey in the world which is at 5.5 kilograms per person per year which quite high compared to China which stands at 20th position with 0.57 Kgs and India at 28th position which stands 0.38 Kgs. The country has a population of just 8.2 crore people.
The clear reason is the extremely high population of China and India and overall consumption divided among so many means very less per capita consumption.
Different countries different ways :
While Coffee is mostly consumed in similar fashion across the Globe either Black or with Milk, Tea is consumed in different ways across the Globe.
In India it is mostly consumed with lot of Milk and spices & herbs like Cloves, Cardamoms, Ginger and many others depending upon the region in the Country.
In China is mostly consumed without adding anything else but hot water.
Most of the countries consume Hot Tea whereas Americans consume tea like no one else, they consume Tea in Ice Tea form.
Why Darjeeling Tea is so different and world famous?
Darjeeling is UNESCO World Heritage Site situation at an elevation 2000 mts in the Himalayas and comes under the state of West Bengal.
It is the high intensity of UV light that the Tea Plants of Darjeeling are exposed to Compared to tea plantation of any place anywhere else in the world which makes it all special. To protect itself from the stress the plants developed Flavonoids.
Flavonoids are very powerful anti-Oxidants and that makes the tea special.
Darjeeling Tea has unique taste called Muscatel. Muscatel taste signifies the taste that is generates in Darjeeling Tea similar to the Muscat family of Grapes and Wines. And so Darjeeling is also known as the ‘Champagne of Teas’.
There are 87 Tea Gardens in the Darjeeling that produce anywhere between 10 to 15 million Kilograms of high quality Darjeeling Tea. More than 200,000 families of Darjeeling are employed in the Tea Industry. Such is the popularity of Darjeeling Tea that Darjeeling was the 3rd most googled tourist destination in India in 2015.
Most Expensive Tea :
‘Da Hong Pao’ from China is most expensive tea in the world priced anywhere between $1200 to $1400 pounds per Gram. It is produced in the Wuyishan- a misty riverside town in Fujian of Southern China.
The Tea Plants of Wuyi Mountains are rare and are guarded by armed Guards for obvious reasons.
Tea Production Areas :
Tea production requires a specific kind of climate which is usually found in high altitudes ranging from 3000 to 7000 feet above the sea level.
That is why, in India you will find that most of the tea production in done in the high altitude of states of North East India namely Assam, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Sikkim, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya along with other states from India which are Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttrakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
Assam leads as India’s largest tea producer with 700 million kilograms of tea produced in 2019 and continues to be the leader in the segment.
You like Herbal Tea; well it’s not a Tea :
Herbal Tea which is a new trend these days in not a Tea that is why it is called caffeine-free tea and there is no caffeine free tea. Herbal Tea doesn’t contain actual tea leaves.
Herbal Tea is blend of herbs and spices like Hibiscus, Mint, Chamomile, Ginger and many others.
There is a High Tea and then there is a Low Tea:
High Tea is a very popular term used these days to describe the Tea and snacks served early evening during meetings and conferences. High Tea actually meant the food and tea served on High Tables which are dining Tables and Low Tea is the Afternoon Tea that is served in the Drawing room with light meals.