The countries that drink the most tea are Turkey, Ireland, and the United Kingdom

Since tea was originally from China, some of you might think China is the country that consumes the most tea. However, according to the 2016 report on tea consumption per capita, China only stands at number 20! Surprisingly, Turkey leads the countries drinking the most tea in the world, followed by Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

Turkey is the largest consumer of tea, and each Turk consumes approximately 1,300 cups (3.16kg) of tea annually! That translates to 3-4 cups daily, and 10 during the freezing winter. You can find Turk drinking tea at almost every time of the day, everywhere, at every chance possible! They take it in their homes, cafes, Kiraathane (men's social gatherings), and even other social groups, including funerals and weddings. The Turks also offer tea as a welcome drink to visitors. The most common tea type in the country is black tea.

Ireland is known by many for being the second-largest home for alcohol drinkers globally only after the Czech republic, but surprisingly the country also comes second in consuming tea. According to sources, the average rate of tea consumption is up to 2.19 kg per year. Similar to Turkey, black tea is the most common type of tea in the country. Ireland's tea culture dates back to 200 years ago when English people introduced it into the country as a drink for the rich. Later, tea became accessible to all Irish people, leading to its mass consumption as natives took it to warm themselves and welcome visitors.

The United Kingdom - the country with stereotypes including "drinking too many teas" actually only comes third, with a per capita tea consumption of 1.94kg per year. Immediately after its introduction into the country in late 1650 through the Dutch East India Company, only royals could afford the beverage as the high taxation on tea resulted in high prices. The high custom tax led to escalated levels of tea smuggling, which was later slashed to 12.5% in 1783 when William Pitt the Younger became the prime minister. The reduced customs tax on tea made it accessible to all Britons, leading to its mass consumption. The commonly used tea types in the United Kingdom include black tea, flavored tea, Earl gray, chamomile tea, and peppermint tea.