The best destinations in the world for tea lovers
Aside from Churchill, the Queen and a good old fashioned pub, there’s nothing more British than a cup of tea. Those that left our shores to colonise America in the late 1700s even started a war because the tax on the beloved beverage was too high.
Here are a few destinations (some exotic, some not-so exotic) to give passionate tea drinkers the perfect excuse to travel.
Assam, India
Darjeeling is arguably the better know region for tea production in India, but it isn’t the largest. That honour goes to Assam – a remote region in the country’s north east. Assam grows three fifths of India’s tea in vast plantations that carpet the land.
There are places to stay amid the crop, such as Mancotta, a handsome estate house dating from the 1840s when the British were annexing Assam in pursuit of a tea bonanza.
Tregothnan, Cornwall
Thought you couldn’t take a leisurely stroll through tea leaves on our own fair isle? Think again. Just outside of Truro in Cornwall, the Tregothnan estate has been selling tea grown in its own garden since 2005.
The nearby 18-metre-deep sea creek, which travels almost seven miles inland from Falmouth, and the warm, misty conditions has provided the estate with a unique microclimate that enables the Camellia to grow here unlike anywhere else in UK.
While the entrance fee is pretty steep, starting at ￡65 for a private garden visit, tickets for this weekend’s Charity Garden Opening (21–22 April 2018) are available from just ￡10.
Corrientes, Argentina
It may surprise you to learn that the UK is not the biggest tea consuming nation on the planet – at number 12, it’s not even close. So which nation drinks more cuppas a year than any other? The winner of that honour goes to Paraguay. Followed closely by neighbours Uruguay and Argentina.
In these South American countries they drink Yerba Mate, also known simply as ‘mate’, a herbal tea – and therefore in the minds of many Britons, not ‘real tea’. While some may consider this cheating, the continent’s plantations would argue otherwise. If you’re keen to take a closer look at this popular drink and its origins, head to Las Marias in Corrientes, Argentina for a tour and a tasting.
The top 20 tea-consuming nations (including mate)
Paraguay - 12.22kg per capita per year
Uruguay - 9.66kg
Argentina - 6.05kg
Kenya - 3.24kg
The Gambia - 3.22kg
Djibouti - 3.2kg
Kuwait - 3.2kg
Turkey - 3.11kg
Mauritania - 2.63kg
Malta - 2.24kg
Afghanistan - 2.17kg
United Kingdom - 2.06kg
Morocco - 2kg
Brazil - 1.99kg
Macao - 1.97kg
Ireland - 1.88kg
Taiwan - 1.85kg
Iran - 1.83kg
Kazakhstan - 1.81kg
Chile - 1.61kg
Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
With a distinctly colonial feel, many say that Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands are a ‘home away from home’, but with a much warmer climate.
Popular with visitors bound for the capital of Kuala Lumpur, the Boh Tea Plantation is a favourite. On the free tea garden and factory tour, you’ll soon discover why the landscape looks different to other tea plantations in Asia. There are no tea pickers. This is because the bushes are cut down by machinery, rather than picked by hand.
Rize, Turkey
An unusual location for the growing of tea, the Ziraat Tea Garden on Turkey’s eastern coast in Rize overlooks the Black Sea and can be found next to the ?aykur factory. This produces tea on a much smaller scale than its Asian competitors.
Turkish tea is black, strong and if prepared in the traditional way, is steeped in a double pot and served in a tulip-shaped glass.
Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka
Another colonial hub, Nuwara Eliya is known locally as “little England” and there are more than a few tea plantations here where you can while away your days – the most popular of which is the Pedro Estate, found near the centre of country.
Ceylon tea is rich with a golden colour and is the country’s most important export. A trip to the region’s hill stations offers stunning scenery as well as an insight into the intriguing history of the Tamil tea pickers.
George Orwell | A Nice Cup of Tea, 1946
Hangzhou, China
The “Green Queen” of China, Longjing (or Dragon Well) tea is predominantly grown in Hangzhou near West Lake. Over 1,200 years old, the tea is, as the name suggests, a green tea and is among the most popular in the country.
As well as village and plantation tours, you can also hike through the aromatic plants for a longer look at the region’s herbal offerings. While tea grows here year-round, the best time to visit is in early Spring when the tea is regarded to be at its best, before heavy rainfall and the heat of summer changes its taste.
Uji, Japan
Although not a particularly large plantation, Uji, near Kyoto in Japan, is one of the country’s oldest producers of tea. As in China, green tea is popular here as well as matcha (powdered green tea).
The area is immensely proud of its heritage and aside from the usual plantation tours, you can also take matcha grinding classes and participate in an authentic tea ceremony as you explore the region.
Kericho, Kenya
Kenya is a rainbow nation when it comes to tea, with black, green, yellow and even white teas all grown across the country. In the wet highlands of the western Rift Valley, Kericho is one of Kenya’s most popular estates.
Kipsigis pickers have been hand-picking tea leaves here for generations, with Kericho Gold the estate’s signature blend of tea and you can also find herbal and infusion teas being picked among the lush, green valleys.
The 30 best places for afternoon tea, as chosen by Telegraph experts