If you play close attention to what's on the menu at local cafés in your community, you may have noticed a greater variety of tea beverages being added lately; this is part of a trend that has been brewing, so to speak, since about 2014. Coffee is still a major commodity in most American cities, but there is no doubt that tea has been gaining favor at restaurants and cafés across the United States.

Wholesale tea distributors have noticed an upsurge of business over the last couple of years, and this corresponds to the emergence of tea culture in various parts of the world. Japanese Tea Masters have traditionally kept their craft, which is connected to religious dogma, closed off to foreigners, but this is beginning to change with the acceptance of students from India and from the United Kingdom.

Centuries before coffee became widely consumed, tea beverages and mixtures were already ingrained in Asian culture. The preparation of herbal aromatic beverages started in China more than four thousand years ago; it is believed that the first use of tea beverages was medicinal since they are mentioned in various ancient treatises related to herbal medicine. The proper "black tea" prepared from the curated leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant became a standard of Asian culture around 60 B.C. Herbal infusions and mixtures that use sinensis and Darjeeling strains as a basis to make flavorful and spicy beverages.

People who are new to tea culture are often surprised by how accessible it is. Unlike coffee, which requires intensive farming and roasting operations, tea plantations have a lower carbon footprint and are more closely connected to wholesale tea distributors. Coffee blends are often roasted with sugar, gluten and artificial ingredients for the sake of variety; this is not the case with tea. Herbal blends are all-natural, and they are available with or without caffeine.

Wholesale tea distributors do not limit their business operations to major clients who purchase blends by the metric ton. A tea aficionado who enjoys orange pekoe cut black tea, for example, can purchase a few hundred bags from wholesale tea distributors, this makes it perfect for small coffee shop owners or for individuals who want to host tea tasting events.

American tea culture dates back to the British Colonial era, but it lost influence after the political movement that resulted in the Boston Tea Party; however, times seem to be changing and now tea is regaining its rightful place as part of the American experience.

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