Tea Culture in the Philippines

The Philippines consume 0.06 lb of tea per capita per year.

Matcha is the most produced tea by the Filipinos, while they also like ginger, turmeric, and lemongrass tea.

Other Green tea varieties such as Sencha and Genmaicha are still not explored enough in the archipelago country.

History of Tea in the Philippines

Thanks to Chinese traders centuries ago, tea arrived in the country before the colonization started. However, when the Spaniards came to the Philippines they certainly introduced different cultures to the islands.

With the arrival of Americans came coffee beans and cocoa, so the tea was rapidly swapped for the new flavorful commodities.

Filipinos mainly consume tea for slimming purposes, as a stress reliever after work, or for cleansing the body.

Tea Culture in the Philippines

The most favorite tea in the country is called salabat or ginger tea. It’s prepared by boiling a few slices of ginger and adding sugar or honey to the hot water. A splash of lemon juice is optional, but it’s commonly used to treat colds and flu.

Another preferred tea on the list in the Philippines is turmeric tea, appreciated for its high curcumin (phenolic compound) levels believed to boast anti-inflammatory properties.

Blue Ternatea or blue butterfly pea is a tea that the Filipinos consume when wanting to address eyesight problems.

In general, the tea culture in the Philippines has alternative medicine background rather than being part of Filipino cuisine.

Nevertheless, the tea-drinking habits on the islands are in constant growth, and the country even developed tea tourism, introducing visitors to the organic tea farms in Puerto Princesa on Palawan Island.