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Tea is the major cash crop that is grown in Kenya. The dominant varieties of Kenya tea are black tea, green tea, yellow tea and white tea.

Tea was first introduced to Kenya in 1903 by GWL Caine and was planted in present-day Limuru. The commercialization of tea was started in 1924 by Malcolm Fyersbell. Since then, Kenya has become the primary producer of black tea. Kenya is ranked as the second tea exporter after china globally. Kenya tea is one of the top foreign earners alongside tourism, horticulture, and Kenya coffee

 Both small-scale and large scale farmers do the production of tea. Small scale farmers of tea are managed by the Kenya tea development agency (KTDA). The small scale farmers produce 60% of the total tea production.

 Tea is planted in an estimated area of over 157,720 hectares of land. The farms yield production of over 345,817 metric tons of tea annually.

Varieties of tea

Green tea-this plucked, withered and rolled. This type of tea is not oxidized because the process of oxidation is prevented by applying heat.

White tea-this is unprocessed tea. It is picked and allowed to wither dry.

Black tea –it is plucked, withered, rolled, and oxidized. The whole process is done within a day. Black tea offers the best flavor of Kenya tea.

Tea is grown in the districts of Kericho, Bomet, Nandi, Kiambu, Muranga, Kisii, Nyamira, Nakuru, Embu and Trans-nzoia.

Conditions favoring the growth of tea 

Tea thrives well in warm, humid climate of rainfall measuring 100 centimeters a year. It likes deep, light, acidic and well-draining soil. Tea grows in areas from sea level up to 2100 meters above sea level, provided the conditions are achieved.

Tea is harvested by picking. Most tea in Kenya is picked manually by the use of hands. It is then taken to the factory for processing. Much of the tea produced in Kenya is processed using crush, tear, and curl method. High-quality tea is processed using traditional methods. Which is, picking of the tender leaves and buds cyclically, it is allowed to dry and oxidize in the sun, and then highly soughed.

 Tea is then graded into different grades. They include;

• Broken Pekoe 1 – it forms (12-14) % of the total production. It has the largest size.
• Pekoe fanning 1- this forms about (58-60) % and forms the bulk of the production. It is made up of grainy black Particles and slightly smaller in size than the BP1
• Fanning-the mixture has traces of black tea and a large amount of smallish cut fibers.

 tea is packed in jute bags of 50 kilograms; they are also packed in small sachets of 500 grams. Tea is stored under cool, dry conditions.

Tea in Kenya is sold through automated public auction in Mombasa.

 tea being the world’s best-recognized tea, you should not be hesitant to make your order. For more information, Sign up to our platform today.