Kamelia Budd - About Tea Page

What is Tea?
Tea comes from an evergreen bush of the Camellia family (Camellia Sinensis). It originated in Burma, India and China. The new shoots on each stem are picked, so the bush is kept pruned to about 1 metre high to make picking easier.

The taste of tea will vary greatly according to the soil and altitude where it is grown, the rainfall and temperature of the area, and the manufacturing process.

How is Tea produced?

•	The leaves are plucked. The quality of the tea depends on the quality of the leaves picked. Fine tea comes from new growth; "two leaves and a bud".
•	The tea is then withered, left in troughs for 12 - 18 hours, when it softens and loses moisture.
•	The leaves are then rolled or cut, torn & crushed: Traditionally tea leaves were hand rolled. This has evolved into mechanical rolling called the "orthodox manufacture" which produces a large leafed, full flavoured tea. A new process was developed to produce small leaved, extra coloured and strong teas for teabags, the "CTC" process, which stands for "cut, tear and crush". It is very difficult to put traditional speciality teas into tea bags.
•	The tea can then be allowed to ferment to produce black tea (1 - 2 hours). Green teas are not fermented. Fermentation is prevented by steaming the leaves or heating them in a pan.
•	Fermentation is then stopped by drying the tea at high temperatures.
•	Finally the tea is sorted, as much stalk and stem fibre is removed as possible and then it is sieved into a selection of grades.

What is the difference between Black Tea and Green Tea?
Black tea is what most of us are used to. It is tea that is fully fermented or oxidised during the manufacturing process. Green tea is unfermented and another type "oolong" is partially fermented. Black tea is usually drunk with milk, whereas green or oolong teas have more delicate flavours and milk is not often added.

Where is Tea produced?
It is grown in 37 countries, but the main exporters are China, India, Sri Lanka and Kenya. China and India export only a small part of their very large total crop, whereas Sri Lanka and Kenya export almost 100% of a much smaller crop. In China tea is grown by many small-scale farmers and then sold to large central factories. In almost all other countries, tea is grown on large tea estates with their own factories. Kenya, however, has a mixture of estates and smallholders who grow tea alongside food crops. Most of the tea drunk in the UK now comes from Africa (about 50% from Kenya).

Is Tea Healthy?
All teas contain antioxidants similar to those found in fruit and vegetables. Antioxidants are said to reduce the activity of free radicals in the body and these have been linked to health problems such as heart disease and cancer. Although the antioxidants in black tea and green tea are different, there is evidence to support the idea that all types are equally healthy. Green tea is also thought to help digestion.

What about Caffeine?
Caffeine is present in all tea. Generally the best quality black teas are highest in caffeine, but usually slightly less per cup than coffee. Green teas are low in caffeine, often half as much as a cup of coffee. Fruit and herbal infusions are caffeine free. Rooibos (South African Redbush), which is drunk as a tea substitute, is also caffeine free and high in antioxidants.

Websites for information on tea
UK Tea Council web sites
www.teacouncil.co.uk
www.teahealth.co.uk
www.tea.co.uk
www.teatrail.co.uk

www.teausa.com - Tea Association of the United States
www.coffeetea.about.com - US Tea & Coffee site & newsletter