Tea Documentaries You Need to Watch

Learning about tea may be as exciting as drinking it. If you are a visual learner, an interesting tea documentary will offer you a whole new perspective on your favorite drink. And yes, there’s a perfect tea documentary for every tea lover - from discovering different tea cultures to giving an insight into traditional tea professions and tea trade. Which ones should you watch?

1. The Tea Trail with Simon Reeve, 2014

The Tea Trail with Simon Reeve [1] is a documentary about all the good and bad sides of tea industry in Kenya, one of the most important tea producers in the world. Kenya is producing mostly black tea that’s often for making popular blends. Although Kenyan tea may not be as famous as Asian teas, Kenya it’s the second largest tea exporter – right after China and before India [2]. Read more: 9 Top African Teas to Try

2. All In This Tea, 2007

China, a cradle of tea, has a lot to offer to tea lovers – from regular generic teas to extraordinary blends, organic or non-organic teas and some unusual rare types. Are you interested in organic and sustainable tea production? This documentary may give you some answers. All in This Tea follows David Le Hoffman explores the Chinese tea and small farmers that grow high-quality teas differently[3]. Read more: Chinese Tea Guide

3. Nice Cup of Tea, 2013

British tea culture is the oldest and most colorful non-Asian tea culture in the world. From breakfast blends to afternoon teas, tea cozies and scones, tea in the Great Britain is an important part of daily life. Victoria Wood’s Nice Cup of Tea is a documentary in two parts, exploring the Great Britain’s passion for tea. From India to New York, history and traditions, habits and sharing a cup with actors, Victoria Wood will show you why tea is so important in British culture [4]. Read more: English Breakfast tea

4. Rikyu, 1989 and Death of a Tea Master, 1989

If you love drinking Japanese tea, learning about its history will give you a whole new perspective on the importance of this drink. Although these two movies are not documentaries, they may give you an insight into the life of a Sen no Rikyu, a Japanese tea master from the 16th century that set the rules of the modern Japanese tea ceremony. Both movies, Rikyu and Death of a Tea Master, were filmed in 1989, and based on a novel by Yaeko Nogami.[5] [6] Read more: Japanese Tea Ceremony

5. Masala Chai, 2017

No other milk tea in the world is as spicy and fragrant as Indian Masala Chai. But there would be no Indian Masala Chai tea without chai wallahs - Indian street tea makers and vendors. This recent and highly rated documentary is explaining not only the world of Indian tea and life and work of chai wallahs, but Indian people and culture too [7]. Read more: Chai Masala Tea Guide

6. Great British Ships: Cutty Sark: 150 Years of War and Speed, 2019

Today, receiving tea in post has never been easier. But long time ago, tea was transported on tea clippers. For any tea lover interested in the history of tea trade, this documentary may offer an interesting insight into tea clippers [8]. British clipper Cutty Sark is one of the last tea clippers. Today, this ship is a museum open to public. Read more: Top Tea Museums Around the Wold

7. The Meaning of Tea, 2008

If you are interest in general tea knowledge, The Meaning of Tea by Scott Chamberlin Hoyt may be a documentary for you. From exploring different tea cultures world-wide, to presenting different tea types and their importance and value, this documentary may be a good starting point to understand tea better. [9] Read more: How to Start Drinking Tea  

References:

[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4057268/ [2] https://oec.world/en/profile/hs92/tea [3] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1015968/ [4] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3529910/ [5] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098204/ [6] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098287/ [7] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5516556/ [8] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9554072/ [9] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285167/