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Tea

All tea (green, black, oolong, white, and pu-erh) comes from the same plant: Camellia sinensis, an evergreen shrub native to East and South Asia. What separates one style from another isn't the plant, it's what happens to the leaf after it's picked.

One leaf, many teas

Freshly picked tea leaves contain enzymes that, once exposed to oxygen, trigger oxidation: a browning process similar to what happens to a cut apple. How much a tea maker allows that oxidation to run, and when they stop it, is what determines the finished style:

• White tea: the least processed style. Young leaves and buds are simply withered and dried, with minimal oxidation.
• Green tea: leaves are heated shortly after picking (by steaming or pan-firing) to deactivate the oxidising enzymes, preserving a fresh, vegetal character.
• Oolong tea: partially oxidised, anywhere from around 10% to 80%, giving a huge range of flavour between green and black styles.
• Black tea: fully oxidised before drying, producing the darker leaf and stronger, malty or brisk character most familiar in Europe.
• Pu-erh and dark teas: undergo an additional microbial fermentation step, sometimes aged for years, developing deep, earthy flavours over time.
• Herbal & tisanes: technically not "tea" at all, since they contain no Camellia sinensis, but infusions of herbs, flowers, fruit or roots such as chamomile, rooibos or mint.

From bush to cup

Tea is grown commercially in more than 35 countries, almost always in warm, humid climates with well-drained, slightly acidic soil: often at altitude, where slower growth concentrates flavour. After picking, leaves generally pass through some combination of withering, rolling or shaping, oxidation, fixing (heat to stop oxidation), and drying, before sorting and grading.

Tea by continent

Tea's story is really several regional stories that later collided through trade, colonisation and migration. Explore how each continent grows, processes and drinks tea:

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