New Zealand’s only commercial tea plantation is called Zealong, which launched its first products in 2009. 5. USA: The tea explosion Whether cold or warm, in the morning or at night, tea is in 2014 one of the most popular non-alcoholic drinks in the States. Here is possible to find green, red and even the oolong tea, the traditional Chinese tea. In this sense, it doesn´t matter the type of tea as they are all included in North American people’s healthy diet. Today we can say that coffee is still preferred for the morning ritual, ice tea is often consumed with lunch and all types of tea are drunk in the evenings. 6. Thailand: A very trendy tea Who hasn’t tried a Thai tea? This is also one of the most popular teas in the world. It is made from strongly-brewed red tea that usually contains anise, red and yellow food colouring and sometimes other spices too. Thai tea is especially consumed in Southeast Asia and in lots of American and European restaurants that serve Vietnamese and Thai food. Thai tea found its roots in the midst of war, but a civil, rather than a colonial war like in most countries. 7. Britain: Classic afternoon tea We all know that Britain is the place on the Earth where people can drink a cup of tea even before they go to bed. Yes, British people can’t live without this ancient drink which they brought from India from the time when Britain was an empire. Despite the coffee fuelled culture, tea is still the first hot drink chosen by the British population.
Today most Russians enjoy what they call Zavarka, a very strong tea prepared in a separate tea pot that allows hosts to serve the guests in several rounds. If you ever travel to Russia, don’t hesitate to have your tea with a piece of cake, as it is considered quite rude to serve the tea “naked”. 9. China: The dynasty of tea For Chinese people, tea is synonym of life. They were the first to discover the tea leaf and have been drinking tea ever since. Because of the geographic climate, many locations across the country cultivate different types of tea. The art of making tea is called “Cha dao”, which was soon accepted as one of the most important cultures that Japan learned from China. The only national museum in China can be found in Hangzhou, where there is a detailed description of the historic development of tea culture in China. 10. Argentine: The mate experience People often say that if you want to know Argentine well you need to try its meat, its wine and its mate. Yerba mate is the national drink of one of the most amazing countries in South America and the truth is that it’s more than just a drink. It’s also a way of life. Even though it´s not really tea (it grows on a bush) whoever travels to this country will find out that people drink it at any time of the day. The more you drink it, the strongest the after-taste.
If you have the chance to visit London, don’t hesitate to spend an afternoon at the Orangerie, a paradise for classic tea lovers in the heart of chic West London. 8. Russia: Zavarka for guests There are two things that Russians love most: vodka and tea. The history of this country tells us that it was along the Bolsheviks’ victory at the Civil War that soldiers and industrial workers started to get free tea, which until that point was considered an upper class product.
Russian Samovar
