Tea has a history of over 1,200 years in China and thrives domestically, yet struggles to gain a foothold internationally.
China possesses the world's largest tea cultivation area and the second-highest production, but lacks globally recognized tea brands. Even when tea is mentioned, many foreigners first think of Japan. Why don't foreigners drink Chinese tea? Faced with such difficulties, how can Chinese tea expand globally and develop healthily?
Export Tea Priced at Only 14 Yuan per Kilogram
Although the United States is a "coffee kingdom," about half of its population drinks tea. The U.S. produces almost no tea, importing over 90,000 tons annually with sales exceeding $1 billion, making tea the second most consumed beverage after coffee. Americans prioritize convenience and efficiency when drinking tea. In supermarkets, loose-leaf tea is rarely seen; instead, pre-packaged tea bags for quick brewing are ubiquitous. Many tea-loving Americans can distinguish between green tea, black tea, and even oolong tea, but few have seen whole tea leaves.
Besides quick-brew tea bags, Americans also enjoy iced tea. The U.S. market offers hundreds of Chinese oolong and green teas, but they are mostly sold as canned cold beverages. In areas with larger Chinese populations, such as New York, there are many Chinese-owned tea shops and teahouses. While some Americans try new tea-drinking methods out of curiosity, many view it as a way to experience Chinese culture.
In the United Kingdom, tea consumption per capita far exceeds that of China. Britons spend nearly one-third of their lives drinking tea. In 2006, BBC website users voted on 12 so-called "British national symbols." Among them, "a cup of tea" ranked first with 35.03% of the votes. Jane Pettigrew, an advisor to the UK Tea Council, told Life Times that Britons drink a total of 165 million cups of tea daily, averaging three cups per person per day.
Black tea remains one of the most popular hot beverages in the UK. In recent years, due to growing health awareness, more people have switched to green tea. From 2002 to 2006, green tea sales increased from £4.9 million to £155 million, a staggering rise of 222.9%. A survey by Clipper Teas shows that green tea alone is divided into 16 varieties in the UK, mostly purchased by women aged 25 to 34. However, even when drinking green tea, many Britons prefer Japanese brands, and most are unaware of Chinese green tea.
"Tea and tea culture both originated in China, making China the true 'ancestor of tea.' However, Chinese tea lacks global influence and reputation, resulting in low prices and an imbalanced production-to-revenue ratio," Shen Caitu, vice president of the China International Tea Culture Research Association, told Life Times. China exports 280,000 to 300,000 tons of tea annually, accounting for one-third of its total production and ranking third globally. However, the average export price is only $1.9 per kilogram, equivalent to less than 14 yuan, with average tea prices 40% lower than India's and 60% lower than Sri Lanka's. Most exports go to African and other developing countries. This price includes labor costs for picking, packaging, and transportation, leaving little profit. The tea industry has a resigned saying: "Good tea is kept for ourselves to drink," precisely because it cannot fetch a good price internationally.
Why Foreign Markets Don't Recognize Chinese Tea
China is a major tea-producing country, so why does it struggle to gain a foothold abroad?
Consumer habits. In developed countries, black tea consumption dominates, while Chinese black tea is of lower quality and less competitive. Just as Europeans and Americans prefer strong coffee, they are less receptive to the light, astringent taste of green tea, favoring instead black teas with higher caffeine content, such as Indian Assam tea. "The bulk of the market is taken by black tea, a smaller portion by Japan, leaving only the leftovers for China," Shen Caitu lamented.
Insufficient promotion. Due to the lack of a cultural background for green tea consumption, high-end green tea struggles to sell abroad. Jiang Yongwen, deputy director of the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, pointed out that countries like India, Sri Lanka, and Kenya have "Tea Boards"—semi-official tea management organizations that promote their tea abroad annually. China lacks such organizations.
Lack of brands. For years, China's tea market has been described as "having a surname but no name." The "surname" refers to varieties like Longjing, Oolong, and Maofeng, while the "no name" means teas lack their own brands. Currently, China has 67,000 tea factories, with an average annual production of 20 tons per factory. However, their total turnover is less than that of the British brand "Lipton." Compared to developed countries like the UK and Japan, Chinese tea enterprises have small production scales, simple processing methods, limited variety, low technological content, and few well-known brands.
Substandard export tea quality. Foreign countries enforce strict food safety controls. Shen Caitu noted that in recent years, pesticide residue issues in Chinese tea have somewhat damaged its international reputation.
Insufficient government attention. Countries like India and Vietnam have tea boards responsible for researching and coordinating the entire tea production process and policies. "In China, tea falls under the Ministry of Agriculture, which has a Planting Industry Department with only one official managing tea affairs. The level of attention is far lower than for crops like rice," Shen Caitu said. He added that national-level research on tea is weak, relying instead on local governments in tea-producing regions and some non-governmental organizations, significantly reducing international promotion efforts.
How Can Chinese Tea Go Global?
In the eyes of many, Chinese tea is a high-quality health product, yet it faces the尴尬 of not being able to go global. So, how can it break free from the cycle of "first-class quality, second-class packaging, third-class price" and establish globally recognized brands? Experts offer the following suggestions.
First, ensure the quality of exported tea. The government should provide subsidies for variety improvement, encourage the use of organic fertilizers, and ensure that production, processing, and packaging meet international standards, striving to offer the world healthy and safe Chinese tea.
Second, China has focused solely on selling tea in overseas marketing while neglecting the promotion of tea culture, which undoubtedly limits the推广 of Chinese green tea brands. In the future, efforts should be made to promote the quality of Chinese tea, allowing Western countries to better understand Chinese tea, especially Chinese green tea.
Third, accelerate resource integration to form internationally competitive tea enterprises and enterprise groups. Zhang Liming, secretary-general of the Guangdong Tea Industry Association, suggests that West Lake Longjing currently has over 300 brands, severely dispersing resources. Focusing on building three to five brands and leveraging their reputation to expand beyond the tea market into tea beverages and deep processing would be beneficial.
Finally, Shen Caitu呼吁 that the government should play a role in promoting "tea as the national drink." If all Chinese people drank tea, 1.3 billion people would be promoting tea. If each person drank 200 grams more tea annually, the national total would be 260,000 tons. Therefore, expanding domestic demand has practical significance and could even influence international tea prices.