Turkey had the highest rate of tea drinkers in 2022, with nine in ten people saying that they regularly drink the hot beverage, followed by Kenya. Tea is the second most widely consumed drink around the world, coming in only after water.
The Irish drink nearly five pounds of tea every year; whether they add a shot of Irish whiskey to their tea is their business! The UK comes in third, with Brits quaffing just over four pounds of tea a year.
The country that drinks the most Tea in the world is Turkey, followed by Ireland, the UK, Iran, Russia, Morocco, New Zealand, Chile, Egypt and Poland. You can visit these places and find out their respective Tea cultures for yourself, or you can simply sit back, relax and enjoy a brew at home.
Hangzhou, China
A pilgrimage to Hangzhou, the tea capital of the largest tea consuming and producer in the world is paramount. Hangzhou, home of the renowned Longjing (Dragon Well) green tea, is considered one of the most authentic tea drinking experiences you can have.
The culture of drinking tea was ingrained in the Turks as it was an occasion to sit and talk, and tea houses historically are places of socialisation, he explained. A Mintel report also showed that Turkey tops the world's per capita consumption of tea, and ranks third in terms of the packaged tea markets.
Tea is an important part of Turkish culture, and is the most commonly consumed hot drink, despite the country's long history of coffee consumption. Offering tea to guests is part of Turkish hospitality. Tea is most often consumed in households, shops, and kıraathane – social gatherings of men.
For Arabs, tea denotes hospitality, and is typically served to guests. Tea owes its popularity to its social nature; it is one of the most important aspects of hospitality and business etiquette in Arab culture. Importantly, one should not reject tea when offered, because it may be considered rude.
Doodh pati chai, literally 'milk and tea leaves', a tea beverage drunk in India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Teh tarik, a kind of milk tea popular in Malaysia and Singapore. Suutei tsai, a salty Mongolian milk tea. Shahi haleeb, a Yemeni milk tea served after chewing qat.
Black Tea. Perhaps the most famous, and most popular, tea in the world, black tea is a staple in many households. There are several types of black tea in the market, but Ceylon tea is widely considered to be one of the finest brews.
In 1680 Madame de la Sabliere, served tea with milk at her famous Paris salon. She is traditionally ascribed to introducing the custom to Europe. It is also thought that the poor quality in tea had to be softened with the flavor of milk just to make it palpable.
The Czech Republic remained the world's top in per-capita beer consumption for the 29th consecutive year since 1993. Among the top 35 countries, eight countries saw a decrease in consumption from 2020 to 2021.
With very little caffeine in tea when compared to coffee, it can also help relax those who drink it, as opposed to encouraging alertness through a high caffeine content. Unlike coffee, tea does not have a bitter or astringent taste, so is liked by a wider variety of individuals.
A Unique Tea Service
The Irish are noted for drinking their tea strong and with lots of milk. Traditionally milk was poured into tea cups first to prevent the hot tea from cracking fine china cups.
The most enthusiastic wine drinkers are traditional wine-producing countries. France and Italy are high up on the list of drinking the most wine per person. But the number one spot, drinking most wine per person, is taken by Portugal, with 52 litres of wine per person and year.
Vodka is native to Russia, even though there are lots of countries on Earth that make vodka, so it should come as no surprise that Russia consumes more vodka than any other country on Earth.
Compared to other countries in the world, Argentina has the most soda consumption. About 155 liters per capita are consumed each year.
Finnish milk is among the cleanest milk in the world thanks to healthy cows. The superior quality of Valio milk is ensured by expert milk producers supported by first-class advisory services.
The country with the highest per capita consumption of fluid milk in 2022 was Belarus. The average person in Belarus consumed about 114.9 kilograms of milk in that year. Ukraine came in second with approximately 113.27 kilograms of fluid milk per person.
New Zealand's grass-fed cows produce some of the world's best quality milk. The quality of the milk cows produce is directly related to their diet and environment. So it's no wonder that New Zealand's pasture-fed cows, feasting on our lush green grass, produce some of the best milk in the world.
The word for tea in Arabic is شاي (pronounced shay).
Traditionally, we sweeten the pot of Arabic tea with lots of sugar, but now many serve it unsweetened with cubes of sugar (or honey) on the side.
Tea plays an important role in the culture of the Sinhalese people. Not only do the plantations of this delicious drink design the green landscape of Sri Lanka, but they also mark the day of the inhabitants. Any time is good to sip a cup of tea and there is a variety suitable for every hour of day.
Greece may not be the first place in the world that comes to mind when you think about coffee, but the Greeks love their coffee. Coffee is an integral part of Greek culture, and I can't think of many other better places in the world to sit and enjoy coffee than in a taverna in Greece.