Here are some figures and data on tea consumption in the world that I hope you find interesting:

•  Tea is the most consumed prepared beverage in the world, second only to water; two billion people drink at least one cup of tea daily. According to the 2015 report by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), 5 million tons of tea were produced in 2013, and if we take into account that only 2 grams of tea are needed to prepare a cup, it surpasses coffee, which although it is produced in greater quantities (9 million tons in 2016 according to the ICO*), 5 times more grams are needed to prepare the same cup.
• Tea was known and consumed 3500 years before coffee, as it is believed that coffee was discovered in the 9th century in Ethiopia. Tea has been known in China since 2737 BC, and even more so 2 years ago fossilized remains of Camellia Sinensis roots (the Tea plant) were discovered that are 6000 years old.

 

• Of the total world tea production, China produces 38%, followed by India and Sri Lanka, the largest exporter with 327 thousand tons in 2014, according to data from the United Nations. Tea production grows approximately 5% annually, which means that more people drink tea or that the same people drink more tea per day.

Who drinks tea?

• It is undeniable that throughout the Americas, as well as in equatorial Africa, tea consumption is very low. In Mexico it is less than 50 grams per capita per year, and Chile is the country that consumes the most tea on the continent. However, growth of 3 to 4% per year is expected, especially for specialty or whole-leaf teas.
• Continental Europe is a mixed consumer of tea and coffee, while the East and the Middle East are clear consumers of tea. Among the countries that we do not imagine as tea drinkers but are, are: Iran, Turkey, India, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Russia (who drink 170 thousand tons annually, ranking third in the world as a tea consumer).
• It is curious to know that Argentina is the ninth largest producer of tea in the world, but not a large consumer; almost all of the tea it produces is exported, mainly to the United States, where it is used to prepare iced tea.
• Another interesting fact is that in the United States, 80% of the tea consumed is iced tea and 50% of tea consumption in the country is bottled tea or RTD, as they call it “ready to drink”.** In this country, more than 80% of millennials say they prefer to drink tea instead of coffee.**

What tea do you drink the most?

Commercially (packaged tea) the consumption of black tea is greater than that of green tea, this depends a lot on the country, however the consumption of green tea grows more than that of black tea, with 8% growth of green tea and only 3% of black tea, it is expected that these numbers will be the same until 2023.

Perhaps this is due to the perception that green tea is healthier. The truth is that if we drink it for health reasons, we should drink white tea, which has the most antioxidants.

No matter which tea you drink, I invite you to try everything that a cup of tea has for you: health, peace and, above all, flavor!

Come to the experts of real Tea in Mexico, EURO TE, we will gladly show you everything that the fascinating world of Tea can offer you.

*ICO = International Coffee Association

**data from the US tea Association