For many generations tea drinkers have looked to and trusted China, Japan, and India for their daily cup of tea. When we think about tea production we automatically think of these countries, and although they are some of the top tea producers, they are joined today by many other countries worldwide where quality tea is being made on a much smaller basis, much handmade specialty artisan tea produced on small farms or co-ops, and in some instances even at home, right at the kitchen table, rolled and fired in small batches, one at a time. |
As early as ten years ago there were few specialty tea shops and for those in exist- ence the selection of available teas was meager at best. Today there is an abund- ance of tea shops, as well as quality online stores and mail order, with the choices seemingly endless.The advent of air freight and vacuum pack- aging has evened the playing field, so to speak. It has allowed small tea farms, co- ops, and even individual families to market and sell their specialty and handmade artisan teas worldwide, something that |
Today tea is produced in over 50 countries. Many of styles and flavors (there is said to be over 20,000 distinct tea variations) that can now be air freighted to the West, arriving in a matter of days, fresh and flavorful as ever due to vacuum packaging.The top ten tea producing countries are (in order of production amounts): China, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Turkey, organic teas, all in |
Up and Coming World Tea Producers
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There are places you may not expect to see tea production, but as the demand for high quality tea continues to rise, the amount needed to meet that demand grows exponentially with it. The top three tea producing countries are forever rivals, China and India at number one and two, with the number three slot going to Kenya.On a much smaller scale for production are countries like Taiwan whose tea industry be- gan in the mid 1850’s, when Chinese immi- grants left their Fujian home and mi- Taiwan is helping meet the
Indonesia, whose tea industry went into a decline after In 2005 their tea industry was revived with help from the United
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Just as in China, where each generation hands down their secrets, skills, and knowledge of tea production, the Georgian elders teach the next generation how to produce the highest quality, most fragrant, flavorful teas possible. From plucking to rolling, each family has its own methods of making tea that is passed down.For decades Georgian families have been quietly making quality orthodox black teas by hand. Now, with help from a local entrepreneur and other businesses, these teas are finally finding their way onto the world market, where their quality and flavor are driv- ing demand. These are just a few examples of up and coming tea producing countries that are work- Stop by often as we explore each country individually, looking at the types of tea they produce, the processing |