Tea Cultivation Areas

Where is tea grown? Where are the largest tea growing areas in the world? And how is tea grown and processed? You will find this and much more in this section. Tea-growing areas can be found all over the world in all tropical and subtropical zones, both in the lowlands and in the mountains. The total area under tea cultivation worldwide is around 4,200,000 hectares. However, the relevant tea-growing areas are less numerous. Here is a global view: 

We The harvest time varies depending on the geographical location and the local micro-climates. As a rule of thumb, the further away the growing area is from equator, the shorter the harvest time. In Argentina, for example, harvesting takes place from December to February and in Turkey only from the end of May to the end of June. In Japan, on the other hand, the harvest starts at the end of April at the earliest and ends in August. In Sri Lanka, Kenya, Tanzania and Indonesia, the tea plant is harvested all year round. The most famous and oldest tea-growing regions in the world are China, Japan, Taiwan, India and Sri Lanka. In these regions, the cultivation of tea has  a long tradition and has naturally generated a great deal of knowledge and numerous processsing methods for its production. In these regions, tea is usually picked by hand and with great care. Experienced tea masters (to be understood in the Far Eastern sense) take care of the processing.    

We recommend unsing Google Earth service to visualize the areas presented here.  

The Territories in China

China is simply and indisputably the motherland of tea culture. Tea has a millennial-old tradition in China. The many mountain provinces of central and southern China have produced numerous outstanding tea varieties. The classic and most important tea-growing regions include: 

 

  • Anhui
  • Guangdong (Kanton)
  • Guangxi Zhuang
  • Guizhou
  • Hainan
  • Henan
  • Hubei
  • Hunan
  • Jiangsu
  • Jiangxi
  • Shaanxi
  • Shandong
  • Szechwan
  • Yunnan

A distinctive feature of Chinese tea is its names. Unlike Darjeeling or Assam, for example, Chinese teas are given imaginative and very flowery names. These names are intended to praise the particular taste, appearance or place of cultivation or can be also based on a legend. Some examples are Lung Ching, which means dragon fountain

  • Lung Ching  means: dragon fountain
  • Pai Mu Tan means: white peony
  • Ti Kuan Yin means: Iron Buddha
Japan

Japan is also world-famous for its tea tradition, which has been elevated to a philosophy in Japanese culture. The cultivation of tea has been known and traditionally practiced in Japan for around 1’000 years. The cultivation here is limited to green tea. As market demand is very high, Japan’s own production is not sufficient and a lot of tea is imported. By far the most famous type of tea in Japan is “Japan Sencha”. According to the leggend, this tea was also introduced here by Buddhist monks. 

The areas in Taiwan (formerly Formosa)

Both green and black tea have been cultivated on the island of Taiwan since around 1870. The Formosa Oolong tea produced here is named after the island’s former name, Formosa. This tea is a highlight among tea lovers. 

The Regions in India

Many of the well known and popular tea varieties thrive in India. The country is home to large tea growing areas and is the second largest tea-growing country in the world right after China. The best-known tea varieties are Darjeeling and Assam tea. Darjeeling is grown in the north, on the border with Nepal around the city of the same name. The state of Assam in the north-east is home to the tea of the same name. The largest contiguous tea-growing area in the world is located in the mountains of Assam. The area is characterized by the strong, spicy taste, which is a product of the subtropical climate that prevails here. It is particularly remarkable, even astonishing, that the Indian population consumes around 85% of domestic tea production itself. 

Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon)

In 2018, Sri Lanka was the fourth largest tea producer in the world in terms of tea-growing area. The world-famous brand here is Ceylon tea. These teas are very different from each other. The very different climatic conditions in which tea is grown here and the heavy monsoon rains result in a very wide range of flavors. A characteristic feature of Ceylon teas is their fruity, tangy taste.

The areas in Kenya

Tea has also been grown in Kenya since the beginning of the 20th centruy. Today, this area is the largest tea producer in Africa and the third largest in the world, ahead of Sri Lanka. Most of the plantations are located north of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, and in the west of the country on the border with Uganda and Tanzania. Kenyan tea is very dark, strong and extremely spicy.