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TeaTea is a common beverage made by processing the leaves or buds of the tea bush Camellia sinensis. It is made by steeping the processed leaves in hot water for a few minutes. The flavour of the raw tea is developed by processes including oxidation (fermentation), heating, drying or the addition of other herbs, spices, or fruit. Tea is a natural source of caffeine and theophylline, and has a cooling, slightly bitter and astringent taste. Today, tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after coffee, with every one in two persons a tea-drinker. A total of 3,200,000 tonnes of tea were produced worldwide in 2004 FAO figures. India, China, Sri Lanka and Kenya are the major producers of tea leaves. The term herbal tea usually refers to infusions of fruit or herbs containing no actual tea leaves, for example rosehip tea or chamomile tea. Alternative terms for this are tisane or herbal infusion, which lack the word tea. This article is concerned exclusively with preparations and uses of the tea plant. The English word tea derives from the Min Nan dialect pronunciation tê of the Chinese word 茶. Tea is produced from leaves and leaf buds of Camellia sinensis, the tea plant. All tea varieties, such as green, oolong and black tea are harvested from this species, though they differ in processing. In the wild, the tea tree may grow from 5 to 15 m, and sometimes even to 30 m. The wild distribution is in the foothills of the Himalayas, stretching from northeast India to southwest China. Cultivated tea shrubs are usually trimmed to below 2 m (six feet) to stimulate the growth of leaves and to ease plucking. Many insects, including the green leafhopper, mites, caterpillars, and termites, are natural enemies to tea plants. Tea grows wild in subtropical monsoon climates with wet and hot summers and relatively cold and dry winters. Today, it is cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions. In tropical regions, the best conditions are at higher altitudes. Important tea producing countries are India, China, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Nepal and Bangladesh. (In the tea trade, Sri Lanka and Taiwan are still referred to by their former names of Ceylon and Formosa, respectively.) The three types of tea are distinguished by their processing. Leaves of Camellia sinensis, if not dried quickly after picking, soon begin to wilt and oxidize. This process resembles the malting of barley, in that starch is converted into sugars; the leaves turn progressively darker, as chlorophyll breaks down and tannins are released. The next step in processing is to stop the oxidation process at a predetermined stage by removing the water from the leaves via heating. The term fermentation was used (probably by wine fanciers) to describe this process, and has stuck, even though no true fermentation happens (i.e. the process is not driven by microbes and produces no ethanol). Without careful moisture and temperature control, fungi will grow on tea. The fungi will cause fermentation which will contaminate the tea with toxic and carcinogenic substances. In fact, when real fermentation happens, the tea must be discarded. Check out the following recipes that are tagged "Tea":
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