Turkey

This time we're in the Middle East, more specifically Turkey, which has historically sat squarely on the ancient trade routes connecting east and west. Turkey is ranked fifth on our list.

Turkish people love tea so much that they drink it almost every other hour of the day. Turkey has the highest per capita consumption in the world. Each person consumes 3.5 kilos of black tea on average per year, and only Afghanistan comes close with 2.4 kilos per capita consumption, a full 32% less. Turkey produces 250,000 tonnes of tea per year, the majority of which is consumed by Turkish citizens, making tea exports relatively small. Turkey is known for producing Riza tea, also known as Turkish tea, which is a type of black tea.

The regions of Turkey that grow tea are very different from those in Africa and Asia. The majority of Turkey's tea is produced in a small region close to the city of Rize, which is situated at the westernmost tip of the country's black sea coast and is home to the country's tea fields.