It may surprise you to know that Kenya which produces 8 per cent of the world’s tea, which is the third largest producer behind China and India, is the largest exporter of tea in the world.
The strong and liquory teas that are produced by the CTC method (crush, tear, curl) as distinct from the orthodox manufacture used in India and Sri Lanka are used mainly for teabags.
The tea growing areas are Nandi, Kericho and Nyeri and many of the plantations are owned by large multinational companies such as Liptons.
Other tea growing countries on the African continent include Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Cameroon, Burundi, Zaire South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
However the quantity of tea produced, with the exception of Malawi, is relatively small.
