The Big Producers and the First Flush

Goal: After this lesson you can name the top tea producers and explain how place and harvest timing shape the tea. Subject: Geography | Run time: about 6 minutes

Quick recall

Last time we covered the tea plant and its climate zones. Two quick questions. One: what amino acid is found almost only in tea? Theanine (Mair & Hoh, 2009). Two: does high-altitude slow growth give bold tea or complex tea? Complex, like Darjeeling's muscatel (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2023).

Why this matters

One country grows almost half the world's tea. China produces about 47 percent of it, more than the next four producers combined (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2023). And unlike most growers, China makes the full range, green, oolong, white, and black, all from that one plant.

The idea

Here is the order. China is first at about 47 percent. India is second at about 21 percent, famous for black tea from Assam and Darjeeling. Then Kenya at about 8 percent, Sri Lanka at about 5 percent, and Turkey at about 4 percent (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2023). Each one leans on its geography. India built its tea industry around Assam's lowlands and Darjeeling's mountains. Kenya grows black tea processed by a fast industrial method. Sri Lanka grows the bright island tea the world still calls Ceylon. Turkey grows tea in the rainy Rize region, and Turks drink more tea per person than anyone else on Earth (International Tea Committee, 2023). Now a word that matters for tea, flush. A flush is a burst of new growth, a harvest period. The first flush of spring, the very first young leaves, is often the most prized of the year (Mair & Hoh, 2009). So with tea you are not just asking where it grew, but when it was picked. The same Darjeeling bush gives a delicate first-flush tea in spring and a different, fuller tea later in the year.

Picture it

Look at the map on this lesson. The markers are the top producers, sized by how much they grow, with China by far the largest. Notice the two India markers set apart, high Darjeeling and low Assam, the same country growing two completely different teas because of altitude.

Remember this

The fact to carry out: a few countries grow most of the world's tea, led by China at nearly half, and the cup depends on both place and timing (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2023; Mair & Hoh, 2009). Where it grew sets the character, and which flush it came from sets the grade. Geography and the calendar, together.

Quick check

Quick check. Which country grows the most tea, and roughly what share of the world's supply? China, about 47 percent (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2023).

Key Takeaways

• China grows about 47 percent of the world's tea and makes the full range from one plant; India is second at about 21 percent (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2023).
• Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Turkey round out the top five, and Turkey leads the world in tea consumed per person (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2023; International Tea Committee, 2023).
• A flush is a harvest period, and the spring first flush is often the most prized of the year (Mair & Hoh, 2009).
• With tea, both where it grew and when it was picked shape the cup.

Sources

• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2023). Tea market report 2023. https://www.fao.org
• International Tea Committee. (2023). Annual bulletin of statistics 2023. https://www.inttea.com
• Mair, V. H., & Hoh, E. (2009). The true history of tea. Thames and Hudson.