Types of TeaTea comes from a plant whose botanical name is Camellia Sinensis. A bud, along with two leaves, is plucked by hand twice a year. This plucked bud with its leaves is called a “flush” and is then processed to create tea for brewing. The longer it is exposed to the elements for oxidation, the stronger the flavour.
Interestingly, tea is the most commonly consumed drink in the world, after water! All “true” tea comes from Camellia Sinensis. Leaves from any other plant, when used as tea, is called “herbal” tea and must be distinguished from “true” tea. The commonly consumed chamomile, tulsi, ginger and peppermint tea are all herbal teas. There are mainly four types of tea: White, Green, Oolong and Black.
All of these come from the same plant – the Camellia Sinensis. The duration that the ‘flush’ is oxidised and processed, determines how strong the tea will be. Geography and growing conditions also contribute to differences in flavour. Generally speaking, the less a tea is oxidized, the lighter it will be in both taste and aroma. Heavily oxidized teas will yield a rich, brown brew while less oxidized teas will yield light, amber liquor.
