I recommend that you check out The World of Fine Teas Blog by Hartley E. Johnson, co-owner, Mark T. Wendell Tea Company. Here is an excerpt from the post, The Giants of the Tea Industry:

Tea is currently only the 7th most consumed beverage in the U.S. but it’s the most consumed in the world. As the U.S. is the leading consuming nation in the world, these market forces are converging and it won’t be long before tea overtakes coffee as America’s hot drink of choice. Starbucks and Tazo definitely have this goal in their sites and we can only imagine the endless possibilities that lay ahead of them.

(http://blog.worldoffineteas.com/, October 20, 2011.)

Mark T. Wendell Tea Company

In the news: Is Tea the New Coffee? – The Motley Fool.