Every cup of tea carries a story. In many African households, tea is more than a beverage. It’s a ritual, a symbol of welcome, a source of comfort, and sometimes, a quiet act of resistance. On this International Tea Day, we celebrate not only the drink itself, but also the generations of women whose hands have prepared it, served it, and built community around it.
Tea’s entanglement with Africa is complicated. While Kenya is now one of the world’s top tea exporters, the widespread cultivation of tea in the region was introduced during British colonial rule. Vast swathes of land were taken for tea plantations, often displacing communities and forcing labor under exploitative systems.
But in true African fashion, what was once imposed was transformed. Tea drinking became a part of daily life, stitched into the cultural fabric. Women, in particular, played, and continue to play, a pivotal role in defining how tea is brewed, served, and shared in African homes.Whether it’s chai spiced with cardamom and ginger in Kenyan homes, shai bil na’na (mint tea) served by Moroccan women as a mark of hospitality, or rooibos steeped in South African routines, tea is often a woman’s domain, blending flavors, time, and memory.
In many Kenyan households, the act of brewing tea is often the first skill taught to daughters. There’s a rhythm to it: the rolling boil, the clink of cups, the waft of spice and steam. It’s a choreography of care. The way your mother, auntie, or grandmother made it becomes your gold standard, no matter how many cafés you frequent or recipes you try.
Tea brings people together. In Nairobi, the term “tea” is both literal and metaphorical. You might be invited over for tea, only to find yourself staying for hours, talking love, politics, career moves, heartbreak. For many women, these moments are where friendships are sealed, grief is held, and laughter is shared.
At Zeda, we see this every month during our Book Club café hops. Tea is often the anchor of our conversations. There’s something about holding a warm cup makes honesty flow more freely. Beyond the kitchens and cafés are the women who cultivate the tea itself. In Kericho, Nandi, and other tea-growing regions in Kenya, thousands of women work in tea estates and smallholder farms. Yet their contributions often go unrecognized and underpaid.
On this International Tea Day, we spotlight these women, the farmers, pickers, traders, whose labor sustains a global industry.There’s also a new wave of African women entrepreneurs reclaiming the tea narrative. They’re starting brands that focus on wellness, sustainability, and heritage, such as Kenyan purple tea blends or herbal infusions rooted in traditional medicine. These women are shifting the narrative from exploitation to ownership, from commodity to culture.
So today, pour yourself a cup. Reflect on the women who taught you how to make it, those you’ve shared it with, and the ones whose work made it possible. Happy International Tea Day, from all of us at Zeda.