Tea is the worlds most consumed drink. It was invented almost 5000 years ago by the then Chinese emperor Shen Nung quite accidentally, during his temporary halt in a jungle. After that the drink grew in popularity in China. The Chinese were pioneer in making this beverage. Later after the East India Company had the monopoly in tea trading, they brought to several other countries where British colonies had been set up. After the company lost its monopoly, the countries started their own trade and gradually tea trading became a profitable business.

Tea is grown in several countries of the world. The major tea producing countries are China, India, Japan, Sri Lanka and Taiwan.

India

India is the largest producer of tea in the world. It was the East India Company which introduced tea into India when India was one of its colonies. Today, the Indians consume the highest amount of tea. They contribute to almost half of the total production of tea in the world (as of reports in 2006). Black tea is the mostly grown tea in India. India has several tea plantations in the north east valleys in Assam (in the Brahmaputra valley), in the foothills of the Himalayas (Darjeeling) and the Blue mountains in the south west known as the Nilgiri Hills. India is the second largest exporter of tea, second only to China. It has the maximum import of tea in the world.

China

China is the pioneer in tea production. They are the ones who invented this wonder beverage and for centuries, tea is the most popular drink there. China has the largest international market of tea in the world. China grows four types of tea namely, green tea, black tea, oolong tea and scented tea. More than half the tea grown in China is the green tea. The best known tea are Chunmee, young Hyson, Hyson, and Sowmee green teas. Green tea is the healthiest of all teas.

It has medicinal properties unmatched by any other tea. It helps to control diabetes, heart-attack, prevent cancer, helps to build strong bones and gums and also reduce body fat. Oolong tea is another type of tea produced in this country. Oolong tea lies somewhere in the middle between green and black tea, a unique balance between green tea's delicacy and black tea's depth. The most famous green teas come from Ti Kwan Yin and Phoenix Mountain.

Sri Lanka

The next country in the Indian subcontinent, to the south of India, which produces tea is Sri Lanka. Today Sri Lanka is the third largest producer of tea in the world. They produce the blank teas very similar to the ones produced in India having a floral aroma and taste. The black tea produced here are also referred to as Ceylon tea.

Some other black teas are pekoe, orange pekoe and broken orange pekoe. Initially Sri Lanka produced large quantities of coffee which was its main drink. However, a coffee rust affected and destroyed the coffee crops by the middle of the nineteenth century. Thomas Lipton was the pioneer in tea production and tea export in this country exporting large quantities to Britain. A famous tea company has been named after him.

Japan

Japan is an avid tea-drinking nation producing large quantities of green tea which have different flavors. Some of the famous Japanese green teas are sencha, matcha and bancha. These teas are famous for their wide varieties in taste, color and flavor.

Taiwan

This country is a significant exporter of tea and produces mainly oolong tea and pouching teas, which have a fruity and flowery taste.

In addition to these, tea is produced in countries like Brazil, Bangladesh, Kenya, Argentina, and several other African countries. Besides these teas grown from leaves and brewed henceforth, several other forms of easy-to-use teas are being sold commercially. With the fast lifestyle catching up with people, consumers are relying more and more on readily available items. As a result, canned tea, herbal tea and fruit tea are very popular. Countries like USA and several European countries export these forms of tea. It is a commercial growth influenced by tea.