Tea plays an essential role in Kazakh culture, as no celebration or family feast is held without drinking tea. Sharing tea is a ritual of unity. When someone visits a Kazakh family, tea is served first. The custom, called syi-ayak, begins with the washing of hands. A bowl of black tea is served with or without lemon or milk and sometimes with fennel or cardamom. The tea is ladled or poured into a ceramic drinking bowl called a Piyala (Piala). The head of the family (husband) is the first to be served; the guests thereafter. Tradition holds that after dinner, everyone remains seated until the last person has finished drinking their tea, then everyone leaves together.

When tea is poured into a Piyala, filling a bowl to the brim is considered impolite. A half-filled bowl is a sign of respect for guests. The smaller portion is an invitation to keep the conversation going. If the bowl is filled to the brim, it signals the host wants the guest to drink up and depart soon. Tea is constantly ladled into the Piyala, so the drink remains hot. When the guest feels full or wishes to stop, they set down the bowl and cover it with five fingers to express their gratitude. Until they do, the tea keeps flowing.

Eraly Tugzhanov, former chairman of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, writes that “tea always had a special significance in the steppe civilization because we know there is huge diplomacy behind it. We invited negotiations in the steppe to signify our design for harmony and peace. Tea invites us all to one table. It is one of the attributes of hospitality, unity, and identity of the people.”

Early tea traditions differ depending on the region, which varies by geography and climate.  A family feast includes fried baursak bread, dried fruit, and nuts.

Nomadic Kazakh people still drink thick milk tea in the countryside. Milk tea, known as shirchay, is flavored with salt and melted butter, sometimes thickened with flour, bits of meat, and fat. Adding fennel and cardamom to the blend creates Kazakh chai. In urban areas, black tea is far and away the most popular variety, often with milk and sugar. The juice of Uzbek lemon, which is orange in color, is commonly mixed with tea. Tashkent is a sweetened mix of green and black tea. Kazakhs call black tea қызыл шай, which means red tea in the local language. The word “red” indicates the color of the tea liquor, which should retain its red hue after adding milk. Brew times are long, and teas are robust.

The overall retail beverage market in Kazakhstan has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry, reaching an estimated $3.8 billion in value. While alcoholic drinks command the largest share of this total, the non-alcoholic and hot beverage segment represents a robust $800 million market, expanding steadily due to premiumization and urban convenience retail. Driven by a tech-savvy population, eCommerce transaction revenue for hot and cold drinks has soared past $75 million annually. Kazakhs consume approximately 60 million kilograms of tea each year. According to the OEC Trade Database, the country relies heavily on global supply chains to meet this demand, importing roughly $67.2 million worth of tea annually. To bridge the gap, domestic tea factories import and process bulk leaves, exporting $28.4 million worth of finished tea blends back out to regional neighbors like Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.

Imports, valued at $82 million, were down by 19.1% in 2021. During the first quarter of 2021, the country imported 7,800 tons of bulk black tea (and some flavored tea), valued at $28 million, according to the National Statistical Committee. By 2024, Kazakhstan’s tea imports stood at $67.2 million, with the supply chain led by Kenya ($23.5M), Russia ($14.7M), and India ($13.7M).

Kenya remains the largest source of imported tea to Kazakhstan, leading the supply chain alongside Russia and India, while China and Sri Lanka maintain smaller, steady shares. Massive domestic demand consistently outpaces local blending and processing capacity, meaning that imports drive roughly 75% to 80% of the country’s entire tea market. Loose-leaf black tea continues to dominate consumer preferences, commanding a 70% market share over pre-packaged tea bags. 

During that same period, the Kazakh republic exported 2,500 metric tons of tea. Top export destinations were Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia. Concurrently, domestic blenders exported $28.4 million worth of processed tea, primarily serving regional neighbors Russia ($15.3M), Kyrgyzstan ($9.84M), and Uzbekistan ($2.35M).

Consumer research by Almaty-based tracking firms confirms that traditional black tea firmly anchors the market with roughly an 84% share, though premium fruit and herbal black tea blends have risen to capture over 13%. Traditional loose-leaf (non-bagged) tea maintains its historical dominance with a 70% share of total volume. The market remains consolidated, with four large conglomerates leading the industry. At the forefront is the multi-brand giant RG Brands, leveraging its extensive distribution network to keep Piala as the nation’s top-selling tea. It is closely followed by the Tea House LLP portfolio—which produces the widely popular Assam, Simba, and Nauryz brands using premium imported Indian and Kenyan leaves. Meanwhile, international major Orimi Trade (holding the premium Greenfield and Tess lines) commands a major stake, while dynamic fast-growing competitors like Mai Kompanya are aggressively capturing value share through rapid flavor innovations under their Richard and Curtis labels.

Success story

More than ten tea factories operate in Kazakhstan, with blenders importing most of the bulk tea. Almaty, located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains, is the major tea-producing region, accounting for 83% of the country’s total tea production. Key brands in the domestic market are Tea Center, RG Brands, and Orimi. Tea Center holds a 20% market share.

When the owners of Tea Center contacted the European Bank of Reconstruction & Development (EBRD) in 2017, they had a fast-growing but relatively unstructured tea production business. The family-run firm previously operated in a cluttered warehouse with no clear development plan. Thanks to an international advisory project with the EBRD funded by the Kazakh government, Tea Ceterr has developed a detailed strategy, a new budgeting system, and a leaner production facility for its rebranded products. As a result, sales rose by 35%, and profit grew by over 50%.

The company imports processed leaves from Kenya, India, Sri Lanka, and China, producing over 2,500 tons of tea annually with plans to continue expanding.

Teapots are not afraid of coffee pots

Although out-of-home consumption at coffee chains and family coffee consumption at home are gradually rising, hotels, resorts, and catering are expanding more quickly. Entrepreneurs in the tea business do not see a threat from coffee competitors. The soft drinks market is dynamic, and the popularity of a particular product is undulating.

Mezrab-Nasib Khalilov, manager of the capital’s oriental restaurant “Alasha,” explains that about ten years ago, the interest in tea in the restaurant was lower because the market was flooded with soda and natural juices. But during the past three years, the demand for tea in restaurants has grown by almost a quarter.

Market trends

Editor’s Note: Updated Market Segment October 2026.