Hong Kong  - Tea lovers are set for a treat at Hong Kong's first international tea fair when nearly 250 exhibitors from 10 countries pay homage to the city's favourite drink, a media report said Thursday.

The fair, due to run August 13-15, is to focus on all things tea, the Hong Kong edition of the China Daily newspaper said.

It is to include a tea gallery featuring tea pots, brewing equipment and tea-making performances. Exhibitors are also to showcase teaware, packaging and processing equipment.

Hong Kong has the highest consumption of tea of all Asian cities, and at 1,360 grams per capita, annual consumption is about twice the global average, the Chinese Tea Culture International Exchange Association said.

Association chairman Jose Yu Sunsay said the city imported tea worth 380 million Hong Kong dollars (48.7 million US dollars) in 2008, a 10-per-cent increase over 2007.

"Today's younger generation seems to prefer drinks which contain substances harmful to the body," Yu said. "Tea, on the other hand, is beneficial to health and can positively influence mood."

He added that the philosophy surrounding China's tea culture is to cultivate virtue and to emphasize the harmony of the relationship between man and nature. He said he hoped to pass these virtues on to youngsters. (dpa)