Tea Producers

From Around The World, Tea Producers Provide a Wide Variety of Teas for us all to enjoy.

For centuries the major tea producing countries have been in Asia, although Africa and even the U.S on a small scale, now grow the evergreen plant from which tea leaves come.

China, Japan and India have long been known as the home of tea producers and the source of most tea products, with Taiwan and Ceylon only beginning to contribute in the last two hundred years.

From China come several of the teas that grace tables around the globe, both green and black.

The green tea of China is grown at high elevations, from 2,500-4,500 feet (762m-1372m) above sea level.

Climatic conditions provide for excellent growing conditions, though the labor intensive nature of tea growing makes them difficult to care for there. There are some varieties that are ready for harvesting for only a few weeks out of the year, making them very difficult to process economically.

• Dragon Well is a delicious green tea that comes from China. Its flat, shiny leaves that leave a hint of chestnuts have been enjoyed by the Chinese for centuries.
• Another popular green tea from China is the Jasmine Balls variety. Rolled into a ball by tea workers, the long leaves are prepared by surrounding them with Jasmine flowers.
• Keemun tea, which has been consumed in Great Britain for 150 years, also has its origins in China. As a black tea, it's actually more popular in Europe than in its tea producing home country.

Most of the green tea producers who ship around the World originate in China, Japan and Taiwan.

Japan's tea production is among the highest of any country, thanks to yields of 1,500 pounds per acre of this fine plant. Much of that comes from the Shizuoka region, south of Tokyo.

Japan consumes 98% of its home grown tea product, though, so it often seems as if they are one of the minor tea producers.

• One of the most popular green teas in Japan is a variety known as Sencha. Served throughout the country, tea lovers will find it in any restaurant or store.
• Gyokuro is another very common tea in Japan, a tea produced with a caffeine content that is unusually high.
• Matcha green tea is a type traditionally reserved for Japanese tea ceremonies, but now finds its way into many everyday circumstances where tea is consumed.
• Hojicha, a kind of roasted tea, is also popular in Japan and has the advantage of having very little caffeine. Perfect for those who love tea, but are sensitive to the stimulant.

But by all accounts, India is and remains the world's most important tea producer.

Demand, both internally and throughout the world, is so high that even this giant of tea production can't satisfy it all.

For the first time in years there are appearing shortages of Indian teas.

The supply has become so tight that India now imports tea from Kenya, Indonesia and Vietnam to blend with their native grown tea producers output.

India has dozens of different teas.

There is the world-famous Darjeeling, of course. But there is also the Assam black, the Puttabong green and the Iyerpadi Estate black, popular for over a hundred years.

No tea drinker would want to be restricted to a single tea producers output, since, like coffee. there are so many delightful blends from around the world, that we can choose from. Internationalism is truly the hallmark of any devoted tea drinker.