The tea business is one that will always continue to thrive because people all over the world need their cuppa every day! That is why so many nations are in tea production.
They actively cultivate the tea plant Camellia sinensis from which different varieties of teas are made including green tea.
Ever since people have understood the health benefits of green tea, there has been an upsurge in its consumption which obviously has an impact on its production.
Green Tea Producing Nations in the World
1. China
China has always been the largest producer of tea in the world. It is also the world’s largest tea exporter. It is known to export tea worth $100 million annually.
The major tea growing areas in China are Zhejiang, Hubei, Yunnan, Szechuan, Anhui, and Fujian.
The tea plants in China are of two varieties:
- The small-leafed China variety
- The large-leafed Assam variety
Apart from these, there is a Cambodian variety as well.
China produces black tea, green tea, oolong tea along with other tea variants. The annual production of tea in China is 2,473,443 tons per year (2017).
It is regarded as the largest green tea producing nation in the world as well. Here is a list of famous green teas from China.
2. India
Being the world’s second-largest producer of tea, India produces a total of 1,325,050 tons of tea annually. The main tea growing regions are Assam, Darjeeling, Dooars, and Sikkim along with Nilgiri and Kerala in the southern part of the country.
The tea grown in Assam is rich, malty in taste, and strong.
The tea plantations of Darjeeling are located in the foothills of the mighty Himalayas. And the tea is grown there has a wide variety of flavors like mild and flowery to slightly bitter and spicy.
Talking about green tea, in 2013, the amount of green tea produced in India was only 11 million kgs. The maximum amount was grown in West Bengal that amounted to 8 million kgs.
The remaining came from Assam and the Southern regions of India.
However, the Indian market has witnessed an upsurge in the demand for green tea which is definitely a good indicator. There are a lot of organic green tea buyers in the domestic market.
3. Kenya
The tropical climate, amount of rainfall and the volcanic red soil of Kenya are well suited for tea cultivation. The Tea Research Foundation of Kenya has developed more than 49 varieties of teas.
And, the best part is that chemicals are not used for tea farming. There is a regular addition of fertilizers to keep the soil fertile.
The main tea growing regions in Kenya are Kericho, Kisii, and Nandi.
While other countries have large plantations to grow tea, Kenyan tea is cultivated in small farms. They are usually smaller than 1 acre of land individually.
However, in spite of this, the country produces 439,857 tons of tea annually. The tea industry in Kenya is witnessing a lot of innovative changes and development so that they are able to compete with other nations.
4. Sri Lanka
The fourth in the list of top tea producing nations is Sri Lanka. The annual production amounts to 349,699 tons.
Tea production remains to be the main source of foreign exchange for the country. In 2013, the tea production reached a record high of 340 million kg but the succeeding year it went down.
The country’s ability to produce high-quality tea is because of the favorable climatic conditions and rainfall.
The major tea cultivation regions of Sri Lanka are Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula, Kandy, Uda Pussellawa, Uva Province, and Southern Province.
In Sri Lanka, the contour planting method is used. The tea bushes are planted in such a way that they follow the contours of the earth.
The green tea produced by the country is called Ceylon green tea. There are Ceylon black and Ceylon white tea as well.
For the uninitiated, ‘Ceylon’ is the former name of Sri Lanka and is used till date to refer to certain products originating from the country.
5. Vietnam
Being the seventh-largest global producing nation of tea, Vietnam produces 260,000 tons in a year. 60% of the tea produced here is black tea while 35% is green tea.
The remaining 5% includes other tea varieties such as jasmine tea.
The main tea growing regions of Vietnamare Lam Dong (in the Central Highlands), Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang (all in the Northeast), and Yen Bai (in the Northwest), provinces.
There is also a special tea called Shan Tuyet which is grown in very few regions of the country.
For tea cultivation in Vietnam, modern techniques are used for production on a large scale. However, there is another category of tea cultivators who make artisan tea on a small scale.
One can find the oldest trees here that have been around for 1000 years.
In Vietnam, green tea is quite a popular beverage. But the Vietnamese variety was not very well known outside Asia till now.
Green teas of Vietnam contain lower caffeine content when compared to those of China but it is higher than the Japanese variety.
6. Turkey
Apart from being an active producer of tea, Turkey falls into the category of the top tea consumer as well! The maximum amount of tea in the world is consumed by Turkey.
When compared to the Japanese, consumption in Turkey is 2 times higher.
Turkey cultivates 234,000 tons of tea annually (2017). The total area of the tea plantation there is 1.4 times larger than that of Japan. So, obviously, the production is also relatively higher.
Most of the cultivation is done in a place close to the city of Rize because of the ideal growing conditions there.
Turkey produces a majority of black tea which is called Turkish tea and also as Rize tea (named for the region that produces it). The teas here are quite famous all over the world.
7. Indonesia
One of the top tea producers, Indonesia exports tea in huge amounts. It produces 139,362 tons a year (2017).
There has been a reduction in tea production as a few of the tea plantations have been converted into palm oil plantations in order to earn higher profits.
Even though the land area for tea plantations has decreased, there is a lot of stability in the production of tea. And, that clearly indicates that the existing tea farms have increased their productivity.
The main regions in Indonesia where the tea output is the maximum are West Java, Central Java, and North Sumatra.
The tea of Indonesia contains the highest amount of catechin content. Production-wise, the main focus is on black tea. However, green tea is also grown here.
Some tea varieties cultivated in Indonesia are not well known around the world because they are usually mixed with other teas.
8. Iran
Iran is a well-known producer of black tea and exports it globally. It produces 100,580 tons annually. The country’s most consumed tea variety is the black one.
The total area of the tree plantation in different hillside areas of Iran is 32,000 hectares. The largest area where tea is cultivated in Iran is Lahijan.
Iranian tea is different from the rest as pesticides are not used to grow the tea shrubs.
Moreover, the conditions in the hilly areas help in enhancing the taste of the tea. Iranian tea is more of a tradition in Iran as family and friends get together to enjoy it.
In recent times, the tea production industry has seen a decline and many tea farmers are out of business due to foreign imports and smuggling. It is a rather grim situation for the tea market.
9. Japan
Japan, the land of Matcha, produces more than 80,000 tons of tea in a year. The country has avid tea drinkers so the entire home production is consumed by the country itself.
Less than 2% of the tea is exported and 99.9% of the tea cultivated here is green tea.
Tea production in Japan makes use of modern procedures and technology owing to the high cost of labor in the country. Hand plucking and traditional processing are only done for the highest quality teas.
The green teas of Japan have a dark green color and resemble a needle.
These are different from their Chinese counterparts as they are steamed instead of being pan-fired. This lends a sweeter and grassy flavor to the tea.
The main regions of Japan growing green tea are in the prefectures of Shizuoka, Kyoto (Uji), Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Fukuoka, Mie, and Kumamoto.
Talking about the world-renowned Matcha, it is Japan’s national drink and has plenty of health benefits to offer. Here is a list of green teas from Japan.
10. Bangladesh
Bangladesh has 166 commercial tea plantations and most of them are among the largest in the world. Tea is the second largest cash crop of the country that gets exported.
The cultivation of tea in this nation is carried out in the northern and eastern districts of the country.
The major number of tea estates and gardens is located in the hilly districts of Bangladesh. This includes Sylhet, Moulvibazar, and Habigonj which are located closer to Assam of India.
It must be noted that Bangladesh’s tea production is 2% of the total production across the globe. It offers employment to 4 million individuals out of which 3/4th are women.
Tea farming is done in more than 56,846 hectares of land which has increased a lot from what it was back in 1947. The highest tea production was recorded in 2012 when it reached 63.85 million kg.
The climatic conditions of the country are well-suited for the cultivation of top-quality tea. And the production of tea is slowly rising with each passing year.
11. Korea
Korea produces only 100 metric tons of tea in a year and 3/4th of its production is consumed by the domestic market itself.
However, Korean green teas are quite sought-after by tea aficionados and that is why this country appears on this list.
Now, why Korea’s green tea is preferred worldwide? It is because of the small and vividly colored green tea leaves that go through traditional harvesting and processing.
Another reason can be the sweet flavor of the tea and its calming effect on the mind.
In Korea, tea cultivation is carried out in 4 different areas and the well-known ones are Jeju Island and Mt. Jiri. The others include Boseong and Hadong. It has to be noted that a majority of the tea exported to the US is from Jeju.
Common Korean green teas include the following:
- Ujeon – This is the first pluck and tea is very light with a pleasing flavor. Ujeon is harvested by hand.
- Sejak – This one is the second pluck and the tea has a bright green color with a vegetal taste and slight astringency. Sejak is the one that is exported the most. It is also hand-harvested like Ujeon.
- Daejak – The tea leaves are matured and are from the fourth plucking. This is a heavier tea but it is accompanied by a typical Korean sweetness.
So, these were the top 11 green tea producing nations in the world that are an active part of the global tea market.
