About Different Tea Varieties
There are thousands of different
types of tea out there, and the vast majority
of consumers are confused and poorly informed
as to which tea is which, and the differences
between teas.
Is it actually tea?
All "real" tea comes
from the camellia sinensis plant - the
"tea tree" or "tea bush".
There are many different strains of tea plants,
and even more different methods of picking and
processing the leaves. These differences make
all the different styles of tea.
"Tisanes", which are
usually referred to as herbal teas, don't actually
contain any tea - the term "tea" is
used here to describe infusions of herbs, flowers
and fruits. Herbal infusions can be delicious,
but if the product does not contain tea (camellia
sinensis) then it will not give the health
benefits associated with tea. However, many of
the herbs traditionally used in herbal teas have
health benefits of their own. Examples of herbal
teas include Rooibos (or Red Tea, Red Bush), Chamomile,
Mint, Ginseng and many fruit flavored beverages.
Infusions that do contain real
tea as well as herbs or flowers are known as flavored
teas. This includes the popular jasmine teas,
earl grey, and many fruit-flavored teas.
Where does tea come from?
Tea is grown in many parts of
the world, but is most famous for originating
in China and being produced in Japan, India and
Sri Lanka (Ceylon). More recently, Kenya and South
Africa have grown impressive tea industries, and
many more countries, especially in Asia and South
America, are adding to the mix. Particular countries
are associated with particular types of tea -
for example, Japan is famous for its green tea,
and India its black tea. However, whilst some
teas are more suited to certain climates and soils,
most types of tea are grown in each of the major
tea producing countries.
How is tea processed?
This is how we get the different
tastes, aromas and sensations from different types
of tea. Basically, all tea is picked (either by
machine, which is generally used in tea bags,
or by hand, which is generally sold as loose leaf
tea) and then dried. It is the differences in
where the tea is grown, at what time of the year
it is picked, where on the bush the leaves are
picked from, how it is dried, and how it is further
processed (some of the finest hand-crafted oolong
and pu-erh teas go through ten or more stages
to completion) that determine what type of tea
is produced and its character and taste.
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