Author: Planet Tea
Original Source: What is Tea?
The evergreen tea plant, also known as Camellia Sinensis or Camellia Assamica, comes from the genus Camellia, which dates back before the great ice age. If left wild, the tea tree can grow as tall as 60 feet, depending on the climate. There is even a1700-year-old tea tree in the Yunnan Province of China that stands over 100 feet tall.
Today, the tea plant, also known as the "tea bush," is pruned and harvested, and its height is maintained at about three feet. This tea bush is the standard for most of today's tea cultivation due to its richer and fuller leaves. There are even some people who say that tea is the oldest cultivated plant, having been nurtured for over 1000 years.
Affecting the thousands of varieties of tea are variables such as soil, altitude and weather. Some teas crave high mountains and cool mist, while others grow better in lower terrain. Most premium quality teas grow at higher elevations, where mountain mist and dew shield the plants from direct sunlight. This humidity helps protect the leaves during the cycle of each day, maintaining a temperature that allows the leaves and buds to develop and mature at a slower pace.
Besides factors such as geography and climate, the fate of tea is also dependent on human touch. Since all tea comes from one plant, the way it is processed is the artistry we taste in the final cup. If the leaves are immediately dried and then heated (steamed) or fired, the tea leaves remain green, retaining the distinctive flavors and health benefits green teas are known for. If left to wither, the leaves are transformed through a process known as oxidation (also known as fermentation) into black tea, of which there are hundreds of varieties.
In between these two stages lie the delicate oolong teas, which are partially oxidized. Tea leaves become oxidized when they are spread out in a cool area and left to absorb oxygen. The longer the leaves are left to wither, the more oxygen they absorb and the darker their color becomes. Hence, black tea is fully oxidized. Many of these teas are also rolled and shaped, creating various styles, tastes and grades. This process also adds to the uniqueness of the final product and is viewed as the "art of tea." During these refinements, the valuable whole leaves are removed from lower quality tea dust and fannings. Unfortunately, much of the tea we are exposed to is made from these leftovers. Once you have experienced a true cup of tea, the harder it is to drink tea dust and flavored teas.
Original Source: What is Tea?
The evergreen tea plant, also known as Camellia Sinensis or Camellia Assamica, comes from the genus Camellia, which dates back before the great ice age. If left wild, the tea tree can grow as tall as 60 feet, depending on the climate. There is even a1700-year-old tea tree in the Yunnan Province of China that stands over 100 feet tall.
Today, the tea plant, also known as the "tea bush," is pruned and harvested, and its height is maintained at about three feet. This tea bush is the standard for most of today's tea cultivation due to its richer and fuller leaves. There are even some people who say that tea is the oldest cultivated plant, having been nurtured for over 1000 years.
Affecting the thousands of varieties of tea are variables such as soil, altitude and weather. Some teas crave high mountains and cool mist, while others grow better in lower terrain. Most premium quality teas grow at higher elevations, where mountain mist and dew shield the plants from direct sunlight. This humidity helps protect the leaves during the cycle of each day, maintaining a temperature that allows the leaves and buds to develop and mature at a slower pace.
Besides factors such as geography and climate, the fate of tea is also dependent on human touch. Since all tea comes from one plant, the way it is processed is the artistry we taste in the final cup. If the leaves are immediately dried and then heated (steamed) or fired, the tea leaves remain green, retaining the distinctive flavors and health benefits green teas are known for. If left to wither, the leaves are transformed through a process known as oxidation (also known as fermentation) into black tea, of which there are hundreds of varieties.
In between these two stages lie the delicate oolong teas, which are partially oxidized. Tea leaves become oxidized when they are spread out in a cool area and left to absorb oxygen. The longer the leaves are left to wither, the more oxygen they absorb and the darker their color becomes. Hence, black tea is fully oxidized. Many of these teas are also rolled and shaped, creating various styles, tastes and grades. This process also adds to the uniqueness of the final product and is viewed as the "art of tea." During these refinements, the valuable whole leaves are removed from lower quality tea dust and fannings. Unfortunately, much of the tea we are exposed to is made from these leftovers. Once you have experienced a true cup of tea, the harder it is to drink tea dust and flavored teas.
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