A Synopsis of tea consumption over time April 26 2017
A few thousand years ago, some jungle tribal groups of south-east Asia chewed leaves from the tea plant. Some two thousand years ago, tea was being drunk by a handful of religious communities. A thousand years ago, it was drunk by millions of Chinese. Five hundred years ago, over half the world's population was drinking tea. During the next 500 years it spread across the planet. Second only to water, tea is more ubiquitous than any other type of drink. Its world consumption is equal to all other manufactured drinks combined, coffee, chocolate, cocoa, carbonated beverages and alcoholic drink.s