Tea 101 - From Plant to Cup

Like a fine wine, chocolate, or coffee, tea can range vastly in quality, flavor & price. The ultimate product can depend on many different factors. Here are some of the most important ones.

Varietal: This refers to the plants origin, age, etc. Is it indigenous to a certain part of the world? All varietals of Camellia Sinensis originated in China, which is where the tea plant was first discovered. Different varietals have varying qualities that lend themselves to certain tea types.

Terroir: This refers to the plants surrounding environment. Climate, soil, exposure to sunlight, air, water, cloudiness, elevation, will have huge impacts on the teas qualities and flavor profile.

Processing: All tea, whether Black, White, Green, Oolong, or Pu'er, come from the same plant - camelia sinensis. Its how, and when the plant is plucked, and how its processed after the fact, that leads to the leaf we have come to love.

Is the tea produced in the Orthodox style (hand-plucked, hand processed) or using CTC or "crush,tear, curl" methods (chemically grown, mass produced, machine plucked)? How is the leaf processed after being plucked? (roasting, steaming, withering, twisting, rolling, etc.)

All of these factors & many more will ultimately affect the tea leaf that reaches your cup.