Map of tea drinking per capita.

Map of pounds of tea consumed per person each year, from QUARTZ


A map is like a picture, but in geographic form. It tells a thousand words. This map well, it tells many things, and reveals some surprises when one thinks about it.

According to this map, Turkey consumes the most tea per person per year. In a way, this does make sense. Tea is a major part of the Turkish culture, and has been this way for centuries. Tea is consumed for so many occasions. It is part of the hospitality of Turkey to offer tea to guests. It is consumed with meals, and it is part of social occasions. Tea is also grown in Turkey, so it makes sense to drink it.

The United Kingdom is the next largest consumer of tea on earth. Makes sense given the tradition of drinking tea in the UK, which goes back to the days of the British Empire. It is ingrained in the British culture.

Russia is next on the list. No surprise there. While Russia is widely known for the fiery vodka, tea is the most popular non-alcoholic drink in the nation. It has been part of the Russian culture for a long time.

However, there were also some surprises to this. One might think China and Japan would have more consumption of tea, considering the amount of tea grown in this region, and considering how ingrained tea drinking is in these culture. There are many varieties of tea in China, and tea drinking started in China. Japan has the elaborate tea ceremony and it is common to consume green tea with meals. Well, this is tea consumed per person. China has 1.8 billion people. And Japan does rank somewhat higher than China in tea consumption per capita, considering the much smaller population. One theory could be that while tea is consumed often, less of it is consumed.

One particular surprise was South America. One might think that the largest consumer of tea in South America would be Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, or Paraguay, considering yerba mate is consumed in these nations. Chile has the largest consumption of tea per person per year in South America. There is no data available for Uruguay and Paraguay. With the gaucho culture being part of the culture in both Paraguay and Uruguay, perhaps tea consumption might be higher in those nations. Actually, in Uruguay, 22 lbs of yerba mate is consumed per capita. However, perhaps when tea is spoken of, yerba mate is not what people are thinking of.

A map can tell many things, it can also reveal surprises.

Could Tea Grow In The USA?

If one decides to drink a cup of tea, there is one thing to consider: Where the tea came from. Most of the tea that one drinks will most likely come from Asia, mainly India, China, or Japan. Having thought of this, it brings up an important question: Could tea grow in the USA?

Why ask this question? Well, it could be an important jump start to the economy to grow tea on a large scale in the USA. If grown in the USA, there would be a ready market for this tea, as many Americans and Canadians drink tea. The question is, however, could it be done?

Well, to figure this out, one must consider the climate types in which tea will be the most successful on a commercial scale. Although in theory, tea can be grown in marine climates, such as Washington State and in southern England, they aren't tea producing regions by any stretch. This is a plant that grows mainly in tropical and subtropical climates. At least 50 inches of rain per year are required for this plant, and it grows best in acidic soil. Basically, due to climate, this cuts out most of the USA. Most of the USA would be too cold or too dry for this plant to thrive.

This would basically leave the Southeast USA as a potential place to grow tea. In fact, there is tea being grown near Charleson,SC. The Charleston Tea Plantation is America's largest tea garden,which is found on Wadmalaw Island. It's also the first place in America to grow tea.

Charleston Tea Plantation

With tea being able to grow near Charleston,SC, there are other places, such as near Savannah,GA, and along the Gulf Coast region from Florida to Texas. There would be the potential to grow tea in the Deep South, mainly South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Texas would also have tea growing potential. The climate is good for grown tea. Tea grows best in USDA zones 7-9.

So really, it is a question of why MORE tea isn't being grown in the USA. If not climate, then could it be cost of production? Demand? Who knows. It leaves alot to think about.












Sources:
http://www.rodale.com/grow-your-own-tea

Northernmost tea plantation in the world

When one thinks about where tea is grown, many people would think of places such as India, China, Japan, basically, places in southern and eastern Asia. If you think of the same thing, you would be right. These are the places where tea production is among the highest. The climate and soil types are right for growing tea.

However, there is one place no one ever thinks of when it comes to growing tea. And this is the place I want to discuss. It is the Dagomys Tea Plantation, located near Sochi,Russia.

Many might be thinking "Russia growing tea"? Actually, a small portion of the nation has some tea growing. This is located around the Sochi area. This is the northernmost point in the world where tea is grown, at 43 degrees North latitude. Now, at this latitude, there are many places where tea growing is not suitable because of very cold winters. However, Sochi does not fit this rule. An explanation in the next paragraph.

This is Sochi's location.

and another map of Sochi's location

The region where tea can be grown, is in the southernmost portion of Russia, and on the Black Sea coast. This influences the climate. The very cold winters found in the rest of Russia are not to be found along this part of Russia. Being a coastal city with the Caucasus Mountains behind it, the sea moderates the temperatures and blocks out the cold winds from further north. This portion of Russia has a subtropical climate, which is conducive for growing tea.

So, there you have it, the northernmost location in the world where tea is grown, the Black Sea coast of Russia, around the Sochi area.

Sources:
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Russia/Krasnodarskiy_Kray/Dagomys-638353/Things_To_Do-Dagomys-TG-C-1.html
http://ussa.org/foundation/about-sochi