A Tea By Any Other Name . . .
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.
