What is Tea?
 Tea
is the second-most consumed drink in the world, surpassed
only by water. It may surprise you that ALL tea comes from
the Camellia sinensis plant, a warm-weather evergreen. How
the fresh leaves of the tea plant are processed and their
level of contact with oxygen determine resulting types of
tea. During oxidation, tea leaves undergo natural chemical
reactions that result in distinctive color and taste
characteristics. Green tea is not oxidized at all—the leaves
are steamed, rolled and dried while black tea is allowed to
oxidize for two to four hours. Oolong tea falls somewhere
between green and black teas, in that the leaves are only
partially oxidized.
 Tea
is grown in thousands of tea gardens or estates around the
world, resulting in thousands of flavorful variations. Like
wines, each tea takes its name from the district in which
it's grown, and each district is known for producing tea
with unique flavor and character. Tea is also divided by
grades, determined by leaf size. Smaller sized leaves are
used in tea bags while the larger sized leaves can be found
in packaged loose tea.
Herbal teas do not come from Camellia sinensis, but are an
infusion of leaves, roots, bark, seeds or flowers of other
plants. They lack many of the unique characteristics of tea
and are not linked with the research on the potential health
benefits of traditional teas.
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