The reports of tea’s demise—if we may paraphrase one of Mark Twain’s best-known witticisms—have been greatly exaggerated. Tea has been with us for a very long time, remains one of the world’s most widely consumed beverages, and is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.
That hasn’t stopped some commentators from sounding alarms about new threats, most often from coffee. For example,
this report on rising coffee production in China’s tea-growing Yunnan region
examines how coffee cultivation is expanding in areas traditionally known for tea, including the famous Pu’er-producing region.
According to sources cited in the report, coffee consumption in China has been growing rapidly in recent years. However, tea consumption still far exceeds coffee consumption overall. In 2009, for instance, Chinese tea consumption was estimated to be roughly four times greater than coffee consumption.
Per capita coffee consumption in China remains relatively low compared to Western countries, suggesting that although coffee is growing in popularity, it has not displaced tea.
That said, coffee’s influence is clearly expanding. Companies such as Starbucks are investing heavily in China and even contributing to increased coffee cultivation in tea-producing regions like Yunnan, with plans to make China one of their largest markets.
For additional perspective on concerns about tea facing competition from other beverages, see
this earlier article examining concerns about the future of traditional tea culture
.
On the other hand, some observers suggest that coffee and tea can coexist quite comfortably. For example,
this commentary on balancing tea and coffee culture and consumer preferences
argues that both beverages can thrive without directly replacing one another.
And in a final twist, tea lovers may appreciate that even some coffee professionals prefer tea. As highlighted in
this feature about a coffee barista who prefers tea when off-duty
,
tea continues to maintain a loyal following—even among those working in the coffee industry.
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