American Tea Consumption Quadruples Since 1990

The U.S. tea market has more than quadrupled over the past 23 years, from $2 billion in 1990 to more than $10 billion in 2013, according to the U.S. Tea Association.

Approximately 80 percent of U.S. households have tea in their cupboards, and more than half of Americans drink tea daily, the association data reveals.

And compared to 2000, Americans currently drink 20 percent more tea by weight, according to Euromonitor market research.

Interestingly, Americans are fonder of iced tea than hot tea, with 85 percent of tea consumed in the U.S. being chilled. They also like ready-to-drink tea bags and are willing to spend a bit of extra money on fancier tea bags.

The following are other key trends noted in a recent Washington Post report:

• America’s favorite tea is black tea, which accounts for more than half of all tea consumed in the U.S.
• Fruit and herbal tea are second, accounting for more than 25 percent of U.S. tea consumption.
• Interestingly, black tea consumption has declined 2.5 percent since 2000, while fruit and herbal teas have grown by 7 percent.
• Green tea is on the rise and growing faster than black tea and herbal teas, accounting for approximately 11 percent of the tea consumed in the U.S. Americans are currently consuming 40 percent more green tea than they did in 2000.
• The fastest-growing teas are artisanal varieties, including teas such as rooibos, oolong and white tea. Artisanal teas have grown 8,000 percent over the past 10 years and currently account for 6 percent of U.S. tea consumption.

Photo: Courtesy of Davidson's Organics