What Is Tea

Put simply, Tea is the product of the Camellia Sinensis plant. Of all the beverages consumed in the world, tea is second only to water.

Even though we’re talking about one type of plant, there are hundreds of different types of tea. How can so many types come from one plant? There are many variables involved in producing tea. One is the environment that the plant was grown in, the soil, the farm’s elevation, the weather conditions, amount of sunlight, the number of harvests possible in a year. It’s what the French wine industry calls “terroir” (pronounced: tehr-WAH R) – the affect region, climate, and land have on the taste.

The second variable in the production of tea is how it’s processed once the tea is harvested. It can be sunned/withered, pan fried, oxidized/fermented, steamed or baked. Sometimes teas can be blended together to produce a unique flavor.

As an example of how tea can be influenced by how it is processed after it’s harvested, back in the days of the large sailing ships, the British were the merchants of the world. They would sail all over the world buying and selling items. They would sail to Asia and fill the ship’s hold with huge amounts of green tea, and take it back to England. As you can imagine, they did not get home quickly. By the time the ship reached England, the green tea had fully oxidized and turned to black tea. The British thought that was the way it was supposed to be, because that’s the way it arrived, and the ship’s captain wanted to sell his load so he wasn’t going to tell them any different. And the British still today enjoy variations of black tea.

Tea can is grown in many countries, but it is found to grow best in areas where there are zone 8 climates or warmer and have at least 50 inches of rain per year. The tea plant grows best in acidic soils. If left to grow, the tea plant will grow into a tree some 52 feet tall; however tea plants are usually kept at waist height to allow easy plucking.

The economics of the tea industry cannot be overlooked when considering tea and its impact of the world’s population. Of all the countries in the world, India consumes the most tea; however on a per capita basis at 2.5 kg per person per year, the people of Turkey consume more tea than anyone. Ranging from large commercial operations to small specialty gardens growing expensive, high quality teas, it’s estimated that the world production of tea is over 4.75 million tons. Of the top 5 tea producing countries in the world, China has the largest production, followed by India at second place, then Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Turkey. Tea is not only good for you, but it also has a positive impact on the economies of many countries around the world.

The health benefits of tea are not agreed on by all researchers. Tea naturally contains more than 700 chemicals including vitamins C, E, and K, along with flavanoides and amino acids. Tea also has been shown to help with your body’s immune system at the cellular level. Drinking tea also helps improve the beneficial bacteria in your stomach, as well as helping to protect against stomach disorders. Tea contains several antioxidants. Fluoride for the health of your teeth, helping blood pressure and the prevention of coronary heart disease are just some of the many benefits tea provides. Tea really is the perfect drink!

If we are to talk about what is in tea, then we should talk about the tangible and the intangible. Not only are the physical ingredients to tea beneficial, but drinking tea also brings with it the opportunity to come apart from your regular day of work and being busy. Tea gives us the chance to slow down and think about the good things we have and the joy that is around us.

While not actually tea, this Hub would not be a complete discussion without taking a brief look at Tisanes. One could think of tisanes as Herbal Tea, remembering that in order for a drink to be truly tea, it must come from the Camellia Sinensis plant. So technically, Chamomile tea is a tisane not tea (even though most everyone calls it tea). Usually herbal tisanes do not contain caffeine, with the main exception being Yerba Mate, which contains caffeine in the form of xanthine. Yerba Mate contains up to 1.7% caffeine compared to 3.2% for coffee. Yerba Mate also affects you differently, in that the caffeine in Yerba Mate affects muscle tissue, while the caffeine in coffee affects the nervous system.

Lemon Grass, Red Clover, Rooibos, Hibiscus, Ginseng and Rose Hip are just a few of the hundreds of herbal tisanes waiting for you to enjoy. Many can produce a delightful hot or cold tea, and most can be enjoyed in the evening without bothering your sleep.

What are your favorite teas? Leave your comments below.