10 countries where they drink the most tea
We present to you ten countries where tea is one of the most favorite drinks. Imagine, but among them there is neither India nor China...
It should be immediately noted that the inhabitants of our planet in general are very fond of tea. Statistics say that in its popularity it is second only to water, which, for completely natural reasons, has occupied first place once and for all. The history of tea drinking is very ancient; if you believe the myths, it dates back more than four thousand years. And during this time, many varieties of tea bushes were bred and countless ways of processing the leaves and brewing the tea itself were invented.
Black, green, red, white, long grain, pressed, extracted, granulated, silaged, in capsules, in bags - the list is endless. And if you collect all the recipes for brewing tea in one book, you will get a hefty volume of many hundreds of pages. In a word, if you set out to try all the existing varieties and methods of brewing tea, then the average human life is clearly not enough. But there are also flavored, fruity, herbal, etc., etc.
The tea bush itself is a heat-loving plant, so it is grown only in countries where there is a suitable climate. It is no longer possible to grow tea north of Georgia. And the most numerous and most profitable tea plantations are located in China, India and Africa.
In the homeland of wild tea, Asian peoples learned to prepare a healing and invigorating drink in ancient times, but the tradition of drinking tea reached enlightened Europe only in the middle of the 17th century. That is, roughly speaking, first the Europeans learned to smoke, and only then they mastered tea drinking.
And yet, even with such a gigantic popularity of tea, there are countries where they love it, and therefore consume it the most. Surprisingly, this list of record holders does not include both China and India, the main inventors and producers of the best and most diverse tea in the world. For India, this is largely due to the low standard of living of the majority of the population (India ranks second in population and 136th in standard of living), while in China traditional brewing methods are used, which allow the tea itself to be used very economically. In addition, the Chinese prefer green teas, which not only can, but also need to be brewed many times, so the average consumption of tea leaves per capita is not so high.
Russian scientist M.Ya. Kittary wrote in the mid-nineteenth century that Kazakhs drink tea “without discerning time and place, before everything and after everything.” Indeed, in Kazakhstan it is customary to drink tea before, and after, and between meals. And if guests come, then everyone sits down to drink tea.
Today, 99% of the population of Kazakhstan drinks tea every day, and half of these people admit to drinking more than four cups of this drink per day. The bulk of tea in Kazakhstan comes from India, Sri Lanka and China, but the country has its own tea-packing factories that produce very high-quality and very affordable products.
Tea drinking is firmly established in the national Kazakh traditions, and it is considered impolite to refuse if you are offered a cup of tea. In Kazakhstan, there are many unique recipes for making tea, which may seem quite exotic to an unaccustomed person (for example, with sour cream, with salt, with talkan), but in fact they are ideal for the rather harsh climate of this country.
Tea is very popular in Qatar and special preference is given to the drink karak, which in the local arid climate can be drunk up to ten cups a day with health benefits. In addition to the tea itself, this drink also contains milk and many aromatic spices, such as cardamom, saffron, cinnamon, and ginger.
In Kuwait they also love tea and karak. While in this country, you need to remember that refusing an offered cup of tea is considered an insult. Therefore, even if tea is offered in an office or store during any promotions, it is better to drink it. Tea is usually richly flavored with lemon and mint.
Tea, and karak in particular, is so popular here that it even causes traffic jams, but no one complains about it. The fact is that the windows of many teahouses face directly onto the roadway, making it more convenient for motorists to make purchases. And since so many people want to buy karak, there is always a queue in the area of such a teahouse.
The population of the 150 beautiful islands located off the southeast coast of Africa also does not miss the opportunity to drink an extra cup of tea. Our own tea grows here, so it is always especially fresh and tasty. On the island of Mahe there is a factory that processes raw materials from local tea plantations. This is one of the most picturesque places in the Seychelles, and there are always many tourists here. In addition to producing tea, the factory also promotes ecotourism.
Many believe that the most tea-drinking country is Great Britain. After all, it was here that the famous custom of “five-o-clock” was born, when at 5 o’clock in the evening everyone stops what they’re doing to drink tea and enjoy a muffin or cookies. But stubborn statistics show that the UK is only in fifth place.
They drink tea here, of course, not only at 5 o’clock, but throughout the day. The British are very knowledgeable about numerous types of tea and what additives are best to combine them with. And the famous bergamot-flavored Earl Gray tea is even named after Charles Gray, who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1830-1834. There are several stories interpreting this name. According to some of them, the count receives wonderful tea from the Chinese emperor as a reward for saving his son during a shipwreck; others claim that the count saved the son of an Indian rajah from a tiger, for which he was rewarded with special tea. But the most plausible story says that a ship belonging to the count with a cargo of tea and bergamot oil was caught in a strong storm, several barrels of oil broke and flooded the bales of tea. It was a pity to throw away the precious cargo, and they tried to sell it. And since tea “spoiled” by bergamot caused unprecedented success, since then they began to prepare it specially.
The Moorish method of preparing tea is famous for the formation of abundant foam on the surface of the drink. To obtain such decoration, tea has to be poured from one container to another many times. It is customary to make tea here very strong and sweet and drink it from small glasses.
Despite the fact that Ireland became addicted to tea only in the 19th century, today it is confidently ahead of its neighbor, Great Britain, in its consumption. One of the most beloved Irish options is hot tea with milk and sugar.
The number of tea options in this African country is incredible. But a particular favorite is the famous Moroccan tea, which is a special combination of green tea, mint and sugar. Special metal teapots are used for brewing, and this drink, like Moorish tea, also requires repeated pouring.
Türkiye constantly occupies a leading position in tea consumption. It has its own excellent tea plantations, so relatively cheap tea in this country quickly replaced expensive coffee. For tea drinking in Turkey, they use not porcelain cups, but specially shaped glass cups, which allow you to enjoy not only the taste and aroma of the drink, but also its delightful color.