The tea bush, Camellia sinensis, originates in Yunnan, China, the southwestern area near Tibet. Ancient tea trees still grow and thrive in this region of the world.

Thanks to the British in the 1800s, tea is no longer only grown in China. China has taught the world about tea from its centuries and dynasties of different styles of tea, but now there are many countries that produce tea. The number one exporter of tea is currently Kenya, leaving India and Sri Lanka competing for second and third places. The famous tea countries are China, Taiwan, Japan, India and Sri Lanka. Other major producers of tea include Turkey, Georgia, Australia, Argentina, Malawi, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uganda, South Africa, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, Mauritius, with the list going on and on. The United States grows some tea in South Carolina and Hawaii, while England has a small tea garden now, too!

Enjoy discovering teas from around the world here at Tea Embassy. Who knows, maybe your favorite cup of tea comes from a country you didn’t know before!