Who would have thought that tea is the most popular drink in the world? It's so popular, in fact, that its consumption is equal to that of other beverages like coffee, soft drinks and alcohol—put together!
Turkish coffee is renowned worldwide, but the Turks prefer drinking tea. Turkey is the highest consumer of tea in the world, with 2.5 kg of tea consumed per person per year, whereas India only consumes a modest 750g per person per year.
The tea plantations in the hilly regions of India and Sri-Lanka supply most of the tea consumed outside of East Asia and mostly sell to big businesses. The highly sought-after gourmet teas are grown in 'garden plantations'. These teas are so rare and expensive that they could be compared to some of the most expensive wines in this respect.
In 2011, China produced 1,640,310 tonnes of tea, making it the largest tea producer in the world. India followed with 1,063,500 tonnes and in third place was Kenya with 377,912 tonnes.
Tea originated in China and was used as a medicinal drink. During the 16th century it was introduced to Portuguese priests and merchants and it found it's way to Britain in the 17th century. The only beverage that is consumed on a greater scale than tea is water.
