(Tea)
Chinese Tea Plant and Flowers Chinese Tea Leaf Japanese Tea Leaf Ceylon Tea Leaf India Tea Leaf Seeds Natural size
Tea
Commercial tea is the prepared leaf or leaf-bud of an evergreen, indigenous to Asia, which in its wild state attains the general proportions of the American peach-tree. Botanically, it is known as Camellis Thea or Thea Chinensis. Under cultivation, it is kept pruned to within three to five feet high. The constant pruning encourages the growth of new branches and new leaves. The value of the Tea is in the young tender leaf.
Testing Tea
Teas are divided into two groups, which differ chiefly in the method of curing. A tea-plant may produce a leaf which commercially may be either black or green, depending on the treatment.
Green tea is prepared by steaming the fresh green leaf and then drying it. In this way the bright color is preserved.
Black Tea is the result of oxidization or fermentation, caused by exposing the leaves to the sun, which turns them black.
The best Teas are made from the young leaves, the different varieties being graded according to their age and position on the shoot.