The Recent Tea Booming in the US - Statistics on the Tea Drinking Population

Oct 5th, 2011 Tad Kumagai

For centuries, the people who live in places like China, Japan and India have seen the benefits of drinking tea. In recent years, the people of the United States have started to discover these health benefits as well. While the 1980s saw a boom with citizens consuming a lot more higher quality hot teas in the past few years, there has a been an explosion of people consuming a wide variety of teas. Although the greater amount of tea being consumed in the US is made of many different varieties, this new explosion is being led mostly by green tea.

The popularity of green tea has taken off for a number of different reasons. For one thing, there are several beverage companies in the US who have their own bottled green tea. Not only is this version of the tea ready to just open and drink, but it also allows for the drink to be sold in more places, increasing its overall visibility. Another item that has led to this new boom in tea drinking by the US population is chai. Chai is a tea that is popular in India and southern parts of Asia. It gained popularity in the United States by being served at many coffee houses, where it is typically consumed as a cold, slushy beverage, which is similar to a milkshake.

Another reason for the boom in tea consumption in the United States is the sudden health awareness that has swept across the nation. With more and more Americans realizing that the food and drinks they have grown accustomed to over the years are actually bad for them, healthier foods have skyrocketed in popularity. This is likely a big reason for why things like green tea have taken off so well. Back in 1990, the tea industry brought about $1.84 billion in annual sales, but that number has swelled up to $6.85 billion in 2007.

With more health conscious Americans looking for better food and drink options, many companies are popping up to provide for them. Not only can green tea be found pre-packaged in bottles on supermarket shelves, but there are plenty of options to be found online. These sites usually offer more niche options for the specialty tea consumer. The bottled tea industry is likely to grow by 12 to 15% in coming years while the specialty tea market should expand 8 to 10% in the near future.

About the Author:

Many people are not aware there is a healthier Japanese herbal tea than Green teas, called Tenchicha. The tea contains 12 herbs with no caffeine. Mr. Kumagai is the president of Eco Vita, which provides information on health benefits of herbal products including tenchicha. For more detail, please visit Tenchicha.com.

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