No, it’s not a case interview question, but it could be.
Answer: In 2010, 3 billion gallons of tea was consumed by 154 million folks in the U.S. That’s about half of the U.S. population drinking a bit under a half-gallon per week per drinker..
Some other factoids from the Tea Association of the USA:
- tIn 2010, the US imported more tea than the UK
- Southerners and Northeasterners are the most likely tea drinkers.
- The split is about 80-20 between black and green tea.
- The split is about 85-15 between iced and hot.
- So-called herbal teas aren’t really teas … they’re leaves, roots, bark and/or flowers.
Recent reports have touted tea’s health benefits, especially cardiac health:
“People who drink more tea do appear to have less risk of heart disease, and for those who have developed some cardiac event like a heart attack, those who are tea drinkers seem to have a lower incidence of a second event.”
Researchers suspect that natural components in tea, particularly a class of polyphenol antioxidants known as flavonoids, are responsible for tea’s health benefits
How much tea is needed for good health?
Researchers say 3 to 5 cups per day is where you start to see benefits.
Tips for maximum health benefits:
- Ready-to-drink and instant teas are diluted, so you’re not getting as strong a dose of flavonoids as you would from a cup of freshly brewed hot tea,.
- For optimum flavonoids, drink tea soon after it’s brewed.
- When you add sugar or buy it sweetened, you turn a zero-calorie beverage that’s great for hydrating the body and has half the caffeine of coffee into a drink loaded calories.
Excerpted from USAtoday.com, “Reading the tea leaves is easy: A brew can be beneficial”
Edit by KJM
The Homa Files 