Tea Blog

Many people—even those who aren’t tea drinkers—have likely heard the familiar phrase “all the tea in China.”

That expression was recently referenced in this

article exploring the origins of the phrase “all the tea in China”
,
and it has genuine historical roots.

There was a time when China was essentially the only source of

traditional tea products and global tea supply
,
making it the dominant force in the tea trade.

In later years, the British sought to reduce their reliance on Chinese tea by establishing plantations in India and Africa.

Even so, China has remained a major player in the global tea market and is still one of the world’s leading tea producers.

When Tea Flows the Other Way

Typically, tea flows from China to markets such as the United Kingdom.

However, there are some interesting exceptions.

One notable example is Tregothnan Estate in Cornwall—the most prominent tea producer in the UK today.

You can read more in this

collection of articles about Tregothnan Estate tea production
.

As noted in earlier reports, Tregothnan tea has begun appearing in British supermarkets and may even be exported to China.

Additional background can be found in this

news report on Tregothnan tea expanding into UK retail and export markets
.

Scotland Enters the Tea Trade

Tea production has also emerged in Scotland on a modest scale.

I’ve discussed this previously in my

article about tea production in unexpected regions like Scotland
.

More recently, a Scottish tea company has explored exporting its products to China and Japan—an interesting development given China’s dominance in tea production.

Further details are available in this

report on Scottish tea export plans to China and Asia
.

See more of William I. Lengeman’s articles

here
.

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