1. Problem Understanding
Estimate the number of cups of tea consumed per day across India.
This is a national consumption guesstimate using a top-down approach.
2. Approach Summary (Top-Down)
Population → Tea-drinking population → Cups per person → Total daily consumption
3. Step-by-Step Solution
Step 1: Start with India’s population
Approx population = 1.4 billion
Step 2: Estimate tea-drinking population
Tea is widely consumed across India.
Assume ~75% of Indians drink tea regularly.
Tea-drinkers =
1.4B × 75% ≈ 1.05 billion people
Step 3: Cups per person per day
Consumption varies by region, weather, lifestyle, etc.
Reasonable assumption:
- Some drink 1 cup
- Many drink 2–3 cups
Take a blended average: 2 cups per person per day
Daily cups =
1.05B × 2 ≈ 2.1 billion cups
Step 4: Add tea consumed in offices, restaurants & travel
Beyond home consumption, tea is also sold at:
- Railway stations
- Bus stops
- Corporate offices
- Roadside stalls
- Cafeterias
Add 10% buffer for institutional + travel consumption.
Additional = 2.1B × 10% = 0.21B cups
Step 5: Total daily tea consumption in India
Home + institutional tea =
2.1B + 0.21B ≈ 2.3 billion cups per day
4. Final Answer
India consumes around 2.2–2.3 billion cups of tea every day.
(Tea is by far the most consumed beverage in India.)
5. Interviewer-Ready Summary
- Population → 1.4B
- Tea-drinkers → ~75% → 1.05B
- Avg cups/day → ~2 cups
- Base consumption → ~2.1B cups/day
- Add institutional → +10%
- Final: ~2.2–2.3B cups of tea per day