Wondering Where Different Types of Tea Come From…and About the Plants they Grow On?
Did You Know that White Tea, Green Tea, and Black Tea Could Come from the Same Tea Plant? What Makes Tea Types Different...
Wait...Wouldn’t you think that green tea comes from a green tea plant, and that it stands to reason that black tea would come from a black tea plant?...Sort of...but not really...
The key word here is COULD…as in white tea, green tea and black tea COULD technically, possibly come from the same plant…but they normally don’t.
What makes tea types different?...
Here is the thing: The fundamental difference in tea types is the color of the tealeaves, which is determined by the level of OXIDATION that the tealeaves have undergone…Just like the apple you bite that begins to turn brown, tealeaves that have been untreated begin to change color as they oxidize.
In fact, it is the processing of the tealeaves that creates varying oxidation levels, ultimately creating different tea types.
True enough, the growing conditions, the climate and environment, even the weather conditions for a period before the tea is harvested affect the leaf material, which impacts the character of the tea in your cup dramatically. The processing of the leaves determines the type of tea we end up with.
So, back to that word COULD. This means that from any tea plant, you could potentially harvest the leaves, and by controlling their processing technique in different ways, turn the same tealeaves into various TYPES of tea…
How does oxidation affect tea compared to other factors?...
Tea types really represent, primarily, the Oxidation Level that the tea leaves have been processed to. And any tea leaves from the actual tea plant, Camellia sinensis, can be processed into any Type of Tea.
So, the fundamental difference in tea types is the oxidation level the leaves are allowed to reach, however, it is the leaf material, developed from its specific growing environment, that produces the greatest influence on the final cup character.
The growing environment, climate, elevation, soil type…the Terroir...turns out to be a more significant contributing factor to the final cup character than the oxidation level.
Tea Masters & Artisans have learned over centuries how to take the organic compounds in the tea plant, produced by Mother Nature during photosynthesis, and manipulate them to create wonderfully desirable beverages at a variety of oxidation levels…
It ends up being a combination of the uniqueness of the leaf material produced in microclimates around the world, with techniques developed to coax out the ultimate release of leaf ingredients into your cup.
True enough, an enticing cup of tea is no simple matter. If done well, it is a perfect marriage of man and nature to produce excellence for us to enjoy and benefit from.
The Chinese character cha, meaning tea, is a representation of the process of cultivating tea. Its strokes are indicative of three things: leaves, a person, and the wood of a tree.
Although tea growers and processors COULD produce any type of tea from any tea plant…they normally don’t...Why?...
Most tea producers have learned over time that the teas grown in their unique terroir are most suited for producing a certain type of tea…which is what they do…with excellence.
It is not a requirement that certain plants are used for certain teas…but that is the way it usually is…
The tea plant is wonderfully adaptable to many climates, making it possible to continue to create unique teas, even in areas not traditionally known for tea production. Currently, there are over sixty-two nations commercially producing tea around the globe.
All this makes us tea enthusiasts the beneficiaries of the love people around the world have for creating amazing teas…A truly beautiful concept is the root of our tea experience...
While all tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, and while quality teas have welcome health benefits, as the tea molecule oxidizes, its health benefits become better for helping with certain health concerns. This is why enjoying a variety of teas of different tea types is an enjoyable and effective way to expand the health benefits you get from tea.