Map: The Countries That Drink the Most Tea (2024)

FAQs

Which countries drink the most tea? ›

According to the World Tea Export Council, black tea is the most consumed tea globally, making up approximately 75% of the total tea consumption. This is followed by green tea, which accounts for approximately 20% of the total tea consumption, while herbal tea and oolong tea account for the remaining 5%.

Tea drinking has been an integral part of Chinese culture for centuries. This ubiquitous beverage is not only admired as a delicious drink with a fragrant aroma, it also plays a profound role in social gatherings as a way of showing hospitality.

As hot beverages go, tea tends to be the one most associated with Japan. Coffee is more often linked to the Middle East or Europe. Nevertheless, there is a thriving coffee culture in contemporary Japan, too. Coffee connoisseurs can find a range of fascinating and flavourful options in the country.

Tea is the most consumed beverage in the world except water, with about 159 Americans alone drinking the lightly caffeinated beverage every day, according to the Tea Association of the U.S.A. Tea drinkers are more heavily concentrated in the Northeast and in the Southern United States, where it is commonly served iced.

Tea drinking was initially encouraged as an alternative to coffee after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. Coffee had become expensive and, at times, unavailable in the aftermath of World War I. Upon the loss of Yemen Vilayet, where coffee was traditionally cultivated, coffee became an expensive import.

The story of tea begins in China. According to legend, in 2737 BC, the Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water, when some leaves from the tree blew into the water. Shen Nung, a renowned herbalist, decided to try the infusion that his servant had accidentally created.

Plumbers drink more tea than any other profession, a study has revealed - researchers found plumbers drink an average of almost 18 cups of tea while on the job each week - around 3-4 each day.

Nowadays people taps only one or two fingers against the table to pay a silent thanks to the person who poured the tea. When tapping twice, sometimes they would say "xie" at each tap as "xie xie" means "thank you" in Mandarin.

What tea do Japanese drink? ›

Sencha green tea

Sencha is by far the most commonly consumed type of ryokucha in Japanese households, accounting for about 80% of all the tea produced in the country. Green tea is grown according to a yearly cycle, dependent on differing weather and temperatures.

Japanese green teas might be advantageous in the area of health. Some studies have indicated that certain Japanese green teas are much higher in antioxidants than Chinese green teas, such as a 2003 study that found matcha had 137 times the antioxidant content as China green tips.

Turkey had the highest rate of tea drinkers of those polled, with around nine in ten people saying that they regularly have the hot drink. Kenya, a major producer and exporter of tea, also ranked highly out of the 56 countries analyzed, with 83 percent of its respondents saying they regularly drink tea.

Coffee drinkers can raise a mug to fiber, microbiome health and lowering risk for cancer and diabetes. But tea drinkers, do not despair. Tea is undoubtedly good for your blood pressure, cholesterol, stress levels, mental health and productivity. And both drinks are winners when it comes to heart health and longevity.

Water. Water is the world's most consumed drink, however, 97% of water on Earth is non-drinkable salt water.

Chinese are the largest green tea-drinking nation. People in China consume approximately 50 % of the total green tea consumption in the world. Japan is the secondly largest green tea drinking country. About 80,000 tons green tea are consumed in Japan every year.