Tea or Lassi?

Tea or Lassi? A Look at Pakistan’s Tea Culture

The British introduced tea to India, challenging China's monopoly by establishing tea plantations in Assam and offering significant incentives to local farmers. Gradually, Indians who emulated the British adopted tea drinking as well. When the British left, they left behind this "addiction" among their colonial subjects.

Today, tea has become an essential part of daily life in Pakistan. It’s not just a cultural habit; it has become a mark of indulgence. Pakistanis drink tea at almost every occasion, with the exception of a few formal social settings. According to reports, the average Pakistani consumes nearly one kilogram of tea annually, while the nation as a whole drinks around 200,000 tons. That equates to about 3,000 cups of tea every second, costing PKR 84 billion per year and consuming $600 million in foreign exchange. Pakistan ranks among the top ten tea-consuming countries globally and is one of the largest tea-importing nations, sourcing 80% of its tea from Kenya, with the rest from China, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

 

Legend has it that in 2737 BCE, Chinese Emperor Shen Nong, a science enthusiast, decreed that water should be boiled before drinking. One day, while resting beneath a tree, his servant brought him a cup of hot water. As the servant approached, a few leaves from the tree fell into the water, which started to change color. Curious, the emperor tasted the brew and, finding it pleasing, exclaimed "cha," the origin of the word for tea. Unlike Pakistan, where milk and sugar are added to tea for taste and energy, the Chinese traditionally drink plain tea. Here, while sugar is often scarce, milk is diluted or substituted with powdered chemicals, thanks to local ingenuity.

 

China remains the largest producer of tea, followed by India, Kenya, Argentina, and Sri Lanka. Pakistan has attempted to cultivate tea locally, identifying around 64,000 hectares of land in Mansehra and Swat as suitable for tea plantations. Tea requires temperatures of 21-29°C, rainfall between 150-250 cm, and humidity levels of 70-90%. Tea plants mature in five years and can produce for up to 120-200 years. 

Currently, a tea garden exists in Mansehra, Pakistan. 

 However, due to limited government support and other challenges, Pakistan continues to rely heavily on imports. Still, there is hope that within the next 20 years, Pakistan might produce nearly 70% of its tea domestically.

 

Until then, each sip of tea increases Pakistan's reliance on the dollar, and if foreign exchange rates continue to climb, tea may become a luxury for the wealthy. The poor, as in the days of old India, might once again turn to a humble glass of lassi.