In its wild state, tea grows best in regions which enjoy a warm, humid climate with a rainfall measuring at least 100 centimetres a year.
Ideally, it likes deep, light, acidic and well-drained soil.
Given these conditions, tea will grow in areas from sea level up to altitudes as high as 2,100 metres above sea level..
All true tea is made with leaves harvested from a single plant species called Camellia sinensis.
Colloquially, the word “tea” is often used to refer to many herbs and botanicals that are brewed with hot water, although these plants are not technically tea..
Herbal Teas refer to naturally caffeine-free products that are not actually “tea” in the botanical sense.
New tea drinkers are surprised to learn that all true tea is made from the leaves of a single plant species: Camellia Sinensis..
According to NIH, all types of tea (green, black, oolong, and white) are produced from the Camellia sinensis plant using different methods.
Tea is usually brewed and drunk as a beverage, but green tea extracts are also sold in capsules and sometimes used in skin products..
All tea comes from one plant, Camellia sinensis.
The difference in types—white, green, oolong, black and pu-erh—is due to how the leaves are processed after harvest.
The specific cultivar used and the local environment of the plant also influence the final product..
In its wild state, tea grows best in regions which enjoy a warm, humid climate with a rainfall measuring at least 100 centimetres a year.
Ideally, it likes deep, light, acidic and well-drained soil.
Given these conditions, tea will grow in areas from sea level up to altitudes as high as 2,100 metres above sea level..
The origins of plants may go back hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought, according to fossil evidence.
Ancient rocks from India suggest plants resembling red algae lived 1.6 billion years ago in what was then shallow sea..
The orthodox tea-making method is the most common.
In this process, the tea leaves go through four stages: withering, rolling, oxidation and drying..
Camellia sinensis is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree in the flowering plant family Theaceae.
Its leaves and leaf buds are used to produce black and green tea..
Botanical origin
Tea plants are native to East Asia and the probable center of origin of tea is near the source of the Irrawaddy River from where it spread out fan-wise into southeast China, Indo-China and Assam..
The actual tea plant is an evergreen tree native to the part of Southeast Asia where China's Yunnan Province meets India's Nagaland region and the northern areas of Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.
From this one species stems two main varieties known as Camellia sinensis var..
Camelia sinensis is the botanical name of the tea plant.
Processing of tea involves various steps like plucking, withering, crushing, drying, rolling and shaping of tea leaves through which the leaves are made ready for brewing..
The astringency in tea can be attributed to the presence of polyphenols.
These are the most abundant compounds in tea leaves, making up 30–40% of their composition.
Polyphenols in tea include flavonoids, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and other catechins..
Green, white, oolong and black tea are all produced from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, an evergreen shrub; what's different is what happens after harvest..
Green, white, oolong and black tea are all produced from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, an evergreen shrub; what's different is what happens after harvest.
The first part of the process is the same across all types of tea..
The story of tea begins in China.
According to legend, in 2737 BC, the Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water, when some leaves from the tree blew into the water.
Shen Nung, a renowned herbalist, decided to try the infusion that his servant had accidentally created..
The actual tea plant is an evergreen tree native to the part of Southeast Asia where China's Yunnan Province meets India's Nagaland region and the northern areas of Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.
From this one species stems two main varieties known as Camellia sinensis var..
