Tea is Getting Popular

More and more often these days – tea is getting popular.

Tea is Getting Popular

Nationally, tea purchases have risen for 20 consecutive years, annual supermarket sales have surpassed $2.2 billion, and away-from-home consumption of tea has grown by at least 10 percent a year for a decade, according to the Tea Association of the USA, a New York-based industry group. On any given day, the association says, 160 million Americans drink tea. It is even moving to beat it’s long term rival – coffee. Department of Agriculture statistics show tea drinking has increased as coffee drinking has declined: Per-person tea consumption was nine gallons in 2009, up from 7.3 gallons in 1980; per-person coffee consumption was 23.3 gallons in 2009, down from 26.7 gallons in 1980, about half what it was in the mid-1940s. And while studies also show that coffee is associated with many health benefits, including helping protect against diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, a typical cup has much more caffeine than tea does.

The fact that tea is getting popular is amazing news. Whether it is the health benefits attracting people, the lesser amount of caffeine, or even just the taste or tranquility associated with tea – more people are coming to the brewed stuff. More people are contributing to the industry and sharing in the love of it and that’s one reason to want to be in the popular crowd – even when it’s just a group of people that like a particular drink. Tea is getting popular and more and more people are raising their glasses and that’s something to make you want to steep the good stuff all the more.