Facts About Tea:
Go For The Green and
Not More Than Five Cups A Day

One of the facts about tea is that it is the world�s second favorite drink, after water. Other facts about tea include that it comes from the leaves of the camellia sinensis plant and it is a low-cost drink. You can brew more than 200 cups of tea from one pound of loose tea leaves.

The English word 'tea' and its many cousins (e.g. tay, th�, tey) trace their roots back to the name for tea in the Chinese Amoy dialect, te (pronounced tay). On the other hand, cha, chai, char and other related names used today are the children of cha, the Mandarin Chinese word for tea.

There are four main types of tea, white, green, black and oolong. There are many different varieties within each category, giving over 3,000 different teas from around the world.

White tea produced in very limited quantities in China and Sri Lanka. In making white tea, fresh spring tea leaves are picked only in the beginning of the season. As a result, it is believed to have many health benefits.

Green tea is unfermented tea. The leaves are dried and then heat-treated to stop any fermentation/oxidation. Recent studies indicated that drinking green tea may help one to lose weight and has little side effects.

Black tea is fully fermented tea. The leaves are picked and spread out to dry until they are limp enough to be rolled. Next, the leaves are rolled and the chemical change that takes place in the leaf particles turns them from green to coppery red. The fermented/oxidized leaves are then fired, which turns them black.

Oolong tea is produced using the same process as black tea. However the time for enzymatic development is shorter. Oolong tea produces a liquor that is midway in flavor and color between green and black tea.

Herbal teas or tisanes do not contain leaves from camellia sinensis in general and therefore are not regarded as true teas. Herbal teas are either pure or mixtures of plant leaves, flowers or roots, spices and herbs, fruit flavors and/or fruit components. A more accurate name for herbal tea is herbal infusion.

What is In Chinese Herbal Tea?