What Is Tea?

Technically, tea is any drink brewed from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Read this lesson to learn more about how to define this caffeinated plant.

Where does tea come from?

Practically, the question "where does tea come from?" is answered by taking a look at where the Camellia sinensis plant is grown, historically and today. Random fact: in Chinese, Camellia sinensis translates to "tea flower" or “tea tree”. While the Camellia sinensis plant originated in China, it abundantly grows today in China, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, Iran, Argentina, and Hawaii (US). Camellia sinensis is mainly cultivated in tropical and subtropical climates, in areas with at least 50 inches of rainfall per year. Tea plants prefer a rich and moist growing location in full to partial sun. Many high quality teas are grown at high elevations, up to 4,900 feet, as the plants grow more slowly and acquire more complex flavors. Two principal varieties of Camellia sinensis are used; the small-leafed Chinese variety (C. sinensis sinensis) used for most tea types, and the large-leafed variety native to the Assam region of India (C. sinensis assamica), used mainly for black tea. Other cultivars and hybrids of these two main varieties exist today, each with different flavor characteristics. The type of plant, along with the terroir in which it is grown, and how the leaf is processed, all culminate to produce different tea types.