What is tea?
Here you can find an overview about the origins of tea, how it’s produced, and some of the different terms you might hear.
Origin
Nearly all tea is produced from the leaves and sometimes stems of the Camellia sinensis, a single species of plant native to East Asia. Humans began drinking tea in this region over 4,000 years ago.
Today tea is produced around the world, but is most commonly produced in China, India, Sri Lanka, Kenya, and Vietnam.
The varying climates in these regions and the altitude at which the plant is grown can dramatically affect the flavor profile of these teas. Because of this some teas are named after the region the region that produces them.
Regional Teas
Assam
The tea here is grown in the tropical rainforest lowlands of the Assam valley of India. The clay soil in this area is rich with nutrients which gives the tea its signature malty flavor.
Ceylon
The small island nation of Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, produces many type of tea in its tropical highlands, but is perhaps known for its full bodied yet bright black tea.
Darjeeling
Grown on the hillsides of the Eastern Himalayas, Darjeeling is often called the champagne of teas. The muscatel, nutty, and floral notes are due to the unique terroir of the region as well as the natural insect repellent the plant produces to fend off leafhoppers and moths native to the area.
Categories
Black
Also known as red tea, the leaves are wilted, lightly crushed, and fully oxidized before being fired or dried. This leads to a fuller, more robust flavor as well as the darker color we associate with the tea.
Oolong
Often described as being between black and green teas, Oolong is allowed to partially oxidize before being dried. Depending on the level oxidation Oolong can vary from lighter to more robust, but it’s signature characteristic flavor profile is that it retains more delicate aromatic and floral notes than black tea while being more rich and full bodied than green tea.
Green
Green tea is created by allowing the leaves to mature prior to picking and stopping the oxidization process soon after by either steaming the leaves or pan firing them. The result is a flavor profile that is more vegetal, less bitter, and subtly sweet.
White
White tea is typically made from younger leaves and undergoes a gentler process of drying and withering. The result is a more mild tea that is slightly sweet and has more delicate floral flavors with a lower caffeine content.
Pu’er
Pu’er is type of fermented tea originating from the Yunnan province in China. There are different means of fermentation known as sheng (raw) and shou (ripe) which give it a distinct earthy flavor. Pu’er leaves are often pressed into different shapes and sometimes aged.
Tisane
Commonly known herbal tea, tisanes are not technically a tea as they’re not made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Tisanes are infusions made from herbs, flowers, fruits, or spices. Because of this tisanes tend to be caffeine-free.