An estimated 80% of Iranians drink low quality imported tea which contains artificial flavor and harmful additives, said the head of Food and Drug Administration. “This is the situation when Iranian tea is said to be among the best globally,” said Rasoul Dinarvand, IRNA reported. There are two main reasons behind the high quality of Iranian tea. Its purity is guaranteed as it is entirely made from tea leaves without any adulteration, and second, very little pesticide is used in the tea gardens. Dinarvand lamented the lack of support for domestic tea producers and said the market is saturated with various kinds of imported tea. Iranians are known to consume 125,000 tons of tea each year (each person on average consumes 1.5 kg). There are 149 tea factories in the two provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran -- the two major tea growing regions.
