British people consume on average about four times as much tea as Japanese people. The tea-loving British created a unique culture of black tea. First they secured their own tea plantations in India so they would not have to import tea from China. The representative teas are Assam and Darjeeling. Darjeeling, an elegant tea which has an aroma like flowers, is grown in the valleys between misty mountains rising 1500 metres above sea level. Assam, which has a mellow flavour and a beautiful colour is to this day being carefully picked by hand under the hot sun. Tea is also grown in large quantities in Sri Lanka and in Kenya through the influence of the British. The custom known as afternoon tea also means a light meal taken between lunch and a late dinner. It is a British custom to enjoy a short conversation while eating scones and whipped cream or sandwiches with a pot of tea. People drink it with milk or sugar, according to taste, and there is also the American style of drinking it with lemon.

On the outskirts of Europe, Turkey rapidly developed a culture of tea drinking in modern times. Tea has been drunk in Turkey for less than 100 years, but consumption is now much greater than that of green tea in Japan. Mint tea is drunk in the African countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. People there are captivated by the strong aroma and sweetness of green tea which is boiled with mint leaves and plenty of sugar. Or there is Russian tea, which is black tea with jam added.