Many of us, if not all, enjoy a cup of tea in various forms. Be it a cup of teh tarik, Earl Grey tea, green tea, Pu'er or bubble tea (or even spilling the tea about the latest office gossip).
But with a variety of tea and flavour for daily consumption, one could wonder - are these different types of tea made from the same plant?
Verdict:
TRUE
Believe it or not, all the tea comes from the same tea plant - and its scientific name is Camellia Sinensis.
This plant can be found in Asia, including China, Vietnam, Korea, and India.
So, how different types of tea are made is based on the levels of oxidation; the chemical reaction between the tea leaves coming in contact with oxygen after it is being plucked.
For example, green tea is the least oxidised, and the colour of its leaves has little change after being plucked from the bush.
Meanwhile, black tea undergoes complex and lengthy processing, which involves full oxidation of the leaves.
This process, and how they are processed and dried later for consumption, will determine the taste and characteristics of each tea.
Of course, there are different types of teas that are made from the same tea plant, which are categorised as 'herbal tea' and they are made of a blend of leaves, roots, flowers, or bark from any number of edible plants.
These edible plants include lavender, chamomile, rooibos, and lemongrass.
In short, if the leaves are not from the Camellia Sinensis plant, the drinks made from them are technically not tea, they are 'infusions.'
So, even if tea may not be your beverage of choice, may this story leave you with some knowledge about it.
References:
1. https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/different-types-of-tea-explained
2. https://www.samovartea.com/how-tea-is-made/
3. https://www.goodlifetea.com/blogs/news/teas-which-arent-really-teas
