August 9/Orlando, Fla./States News Service -- Across the U.S., tea's popularity is soaring, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Total sales of tea in the U.S. advanced to $7.3 billion last year, up from its 2007 total of $6.9 million.
Retailers have attached tea rooms to some stores and opened new tea shops to meet the demand. Since 2000, the number of U.S. tearooms and specialty establishments has jumped from 240 to around 2,400, according to the Tea Association of the USA.