You love your favorite cup of tea but do you ever wonder about the sheer variety of teas from around the world? It’s no secret that we, as a planet, absolutely adore tea – it’s the second most popular beverage on the entire globe, bested only by water (and followed by beer, of course)!
On a regular day, over 165 million cups of tea are consumed in the United Kingdom alone, making it around 60.2 billion cups of the good stuff per year.
China produces around 1.4 million tonnes of tea per year, followed by India just shy of 1 million tonnes, Kenya with around 400,000 tonnes and Sri Lanka with 282,300 tonnes.
In 2010, total world production of tea reached over 4.52 million tonnes.
Obviously -we just can’t get enough.
However, although we might have a shared adoration for a warm cup of a cold evening – what each of us think of when we think of ‘cup of tea’ varies drastically depending on our country of origin.
It’s with that in mind that we’re looking at some amazing teas from around the world – from Argentina to Zambia.
Here’s what to sip on in every corner of the globe!
Argentina
Throughout Argentina, and many other South American territories, yerba mate is the favored brew. This is another form of green tea which is fit to bursting with various vitamins and nutrients.
It can be served either freshly brewed, hot or chilled depending on tastes and preference.
Bolivia
Bolivia is notorious for drinking a controversial beverage, known as Coca tea. This is another herbal infusion which is made from the leaves of the coca plant. It’s prepared in much the same way a regular teabag is used, and is thought to help with digestion and altitude sickness.
What about that controversy? Well, the leaves of the coca plant contain elements of different alkaloids – cocaine chief among them. However, the percentage is so low that it’s negligible, despite what your friends might have you believe!
China
You can’t talk tea without starting with China. Although China is widely recognized for its huge number of different tea strains and flavours, the most favored and well-recognized must be pu-erh tea.
An unusual tea, which is usually packed in tight bricks or balls, and then crumbled into hot water to brew – only aged and matured pu-erh tea can be called authentic.
Egypt
Egypt is a country we don’t tend to instantly associate with tea-drinking, which is ridiculous given that the country is one of the biggest importers of tea.
Egypt’s most common tea-drinking habits revolve around black tea, which is usually very strong and heavily sweetened. Hibiscus tea is often used as a celebratory toast-beverage at weddings and similar events.
India
By far the most common and favourite traditional Indian tea is masala chai – which became a South Asian staple centuries ago, long before modern mass tea production took hold, or the British colonists got their hands on the indigenous leaves.
Masala chai is created with a diverse range of spices and can be served either hot or cold.
Iran
Iran is a relatively new adopter of tea, having only begun to grow its own black tea supplies in the 20th century. Nowadays, however, it seems to be part and parcel of the national staple diet.
Iranian black tea is served intensely strong, devoid of any milk or sugar in the tea itself – instead, drinkers tend to clench a cube of sugar between their teeth and pass the tea through it.
Japan
Japan has always been known for its proclivity for green tea in all of its wondrous forms; a trend which has since travelled to the Western world, with most of us obsessed with the associated health benefits.
A favoured Japanese green tea is that of matcha – ground up and powdered tea leaves, with a history of being used in a variety of tea ceremonies.
Morocco
Whilst discussing Egypt, it makes sense to mention Morocco, which tends to have similar tea-habits to Egypt.
Interestingly, however, Morocco’s most favored tea is mint, for its practicalities when it comes to aiding digestion – for this reason, it is often brewed and consumed after meals.
Moroccan cultural tradition also assigns the tea brewing to the men, as it is seen as a masculine endeavor.
Pakistan
Some of the most commonly consumed teas in Pakistan are black and green tea variations; however, by far the most noteworthy brew is Noon Chai tea. This eye-catching, bright pink brew originates from Kashmir where it is drunk as often as 2-3 times per day.
This interesting infusion is made from milk, salt and various nuts (such as almonds and pistachios) and blended with spices. Pakistani culture means that this tea is usually only served on special occasions.
Russia
Interestingly, Russia’s tea habits stem from ancient days of austerity. Where supplies of food and drink were scarce amongst the general populace, zavarka tea became hugely popular due to its intense concentrated flavor, which meant a little could go a long way.
This potent tea is served in tiny portions (no more than an inch per mug) and then diluted with hot water to suit the drinker’s preference.
South Africa
South Africa’s tea drinking habits tend to center on the Rooibos tea (translated to ‘red bush’ or red tea) which is thought to boast a slew of health benefits. Insomnia, headaches, asthma, allergies, aging – you name it, and the rooibos tea promises to put a stop to it.
The tea itself is a fairly simple herbal infusion, made from the titular ‘red bush’ (Aspalathus linearis), a type of legume with thin, needle-like leaves which are used to produce the brew.
Taiwan
Something more modern this time – Taiwan is renowned for its innovative twist on traditional tea, with its delightfully sweet bubble tea.
In essence, you’re looking at an iced tea (usually something traditionally Asian such as green, oolong or black tea) combined with milk and syrup.
Amazing stuff… in moderation.
Thailand
Thailand brings us back into the world of something a bit more recognisable; Thai iced milk tea. Not altogether dissimilar from Taiwan’s bubble tea, this iced tea is usually made with condensed milk.
Traditionally the tea itself would be Ceylon tea, but due to its expensive price, dyed Assam is more commonly used.
Tibet
The polar opposite of the sugary sweet delight that is bubble tea, Tibet’s most recognized form of tea is its po cha, or butter tea.
This tea is brewed for hours at a time, and then combined with yak butter and a generous helping of salt before being served.
Turkey
Turkey is quite similar to Iran in its tea habits; usually favouring a black, or Çay, tea which is served with every meal of the day – not to mention the thumb-twiddling times in between.
This tea is also declined any milk, but can be served with sugar or sweetener after being decanted from an unusual Turkish two-chamber kettle.
United Kingdom
Similar to China and India’s tea dominance, you can’t even begin to think of tea without jumping to a stereotyped Englishman and his quaint mug of afternoon tea.
The UK favors a milky blend of black tea, which is often seen as a breakfast or mid-afternoon treat (this stems from the mid-1800s when there would be long delays between lunch and dinner, requiring a pick-me-up in between).
How much milk and how much sugar to put in English tea can make or break the strongest friendships, though, be warned.
United States
Throughout the U.S., the most popular type of tea is iced tea (which is thought to make up around 85% of the total tea consumed by the great nation). There’s a slight divide, however, with many of the hotter Southern States favouring sweet iced tea, where the majority of other States are thought to prefer theirs black.
Either way, the delicious sweetened iced tea variations can be made with simple regular teas, served over ice (or blended with it) and flavored with all manner of sweeteners, fruit juices and tinctures to make it extra yummy.
Zambia
Zambians like their tea – 90% of them are tea drinkers (even the ones who also drink coffee) and they usually prefer it with milk and sugar.
But that’s not the one we’re interested in – no, we’re after a tea that’s a little bit stronger. Katata is a traditional tea wine made from tea leaves and yeast that’s been left to ferment in the sun for at least a week. The result? A thick, sandy juice that tastes of corn and is strong enough to get a grown man drunk in minutes.