The “2021 Global Top 10 Luxury Tea Brands” analysis and report was compiled exclusively by World Brand Lab and released on February 23, 2021 in New York, US. The report includes ten luxury tea brands from eight countries. The brands listed include TWININGS(UK), Zhuyeqing(China), TWG(Singapore), Harney & Sons(US), and Mariage Frères (France), among others. Zhuyeqing is the only Chinese luxury tea brand on the list. Tea culture originated in China 4,700 years ago. Zhuyeqing, which comes from Mount Emei in Sichuan Province, is widely believed to be where the tea plant was first cultivated.
According to Superfinance, the number of tea lovers around the world has exceeded one billion. Global tea production is around 6.15 million tons, supplying more than 5,000 tea brands in the world. Seeking to set an impartial and reliable standard to help affluent consumers measure the quality of tea, World Brand Lab developed a global tea brand evaluation model with three core indicators, based on brand strength, consumer value-added and enterprise development. Based on these three indicators, World Brand Lab exclusively writes the analysis report, “The Global Top 10 Luxury Tea Brands.” The top 10 luxury tea brands in 2021 hail from eight countries, including the UK, the US, China, Singapore, France, Sri Lanka, India, and Japan.
The process of data collection and evaluation used in the “2021 Global Top 10 Luxury Tea Brands” analysis and report includes luxury tea brands from various countries and regions around the world. World Brand Lab conducted an initial screening of more than 5,000 tea brands in the global market and selected 300 super brands in the tea industry. These brands are located in more than 20 countries with mature tea industries, such as the UK, the US, France, India, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, and Singapore. The 300 super brands in the tea industry were then analyzed using big data, statistics, and other tools, after which the ten most influential luxury tea brands in the world were selected. While Turkey(3,157 grams) and Ireland (2,191 grams) lead the world in annual tea consumption per capita, both nations rely heavily on tea imports from luxury tea brands to meet their consumption needs.
After conducting its research on the global luxury tea market, World Brand Lab identified three characteristics in the current trend in tea consumption. The first is branding; both boutique and high-end. Secondly, the brands are gradually establishing younger demographics. The third characteristic is functionalization: During the COVID-19 global pandemic, consumer awareness of the benefits and efficacy of tea increased.
“The benefits of drinking tea have long been understood by the Chinese people and extend far beyond the effects of caffeine for which it is best known in the West,” said Michael Rice, a member of the World Brand Lab expert panel based in New York. “From digestive health—including weight loss—to the enhancement of the circulatory system, the treatment of diabetes,and the improvement of memory, a daily tea-drinking regimen can both improve your life and increase your enjoyment of it.”
Yuan Haodong, president of World Executive Group and a member of the World Brand Lab expert panel, added that from a historical perspective, China is the birthplace of the world’s brands. “The distinction of the ancient “Made in China” brand was held in far higher esteem than German brands today,” said Yuan.“In contrary with today’s China—a major luxury importer—China was a country of global luxury goods manufacturing and a major exporter some 2,500 years ago. Ceramics, silk, and tea: these three ancient luxuries were almost monopolized by Chinese producers. Although tea originated in China, different tea cultures have developed among various ethnic groups and regions, such as Gongfu tea, Japanese tea ceremony, British “high tea,” and so on. Zhuyeqing is more than a business card of global luxury tea brands;it also carries the connotation and history of China's 4,700 years of tea culture."