Tea is well known throughout the world and is the most popular beverage next to water in the entire world. Everyone who has sat down with a cup of lovingly brewed tea knows how soothing and calming it can be to sip at the wonderful, heady and aromatic beverage.

It had its origin in being used as a medicinal drink in China and Japan where mostly the priests and the aristocracy drank it. But, with time it spread throughout countries and regions and thence onto continents where tea was embraced as the stylish beverage that was drunk at breakfast, afternoon tea parties, evening get-togethers and after dinner.

The tea bush or Camellia Sinensis changes in character according to the climate, soil conditions, rainfall, elevation, sun, cloud cover, wind and water drainage. The curing process of tea also produces significantly different teas. So, it is possible to get thousands of different tasting teas with numerous combinations of all the factors affecting the tea bush. Another fascinating aspect of tea production is that it is only the buds and the first two leaves next to it that is harvested in order to make tea. No other part of the entire tea bush is used and one single tea bush will generally give three thousand tea leaves a year which translates to about one pound of processed tea. Harvesting of the tea buds are done by hand and in most cases you will see people with wicker baskets slung on their backs going through the tea bushed and snapping off the buds with a practiced twist of the wrist without in any way crushing them.

The ideal climate for growing tea is a higher altitude and can be anywhere up to six thousand feet with ample rainfall. Different types of tea have distinct processing methods. The types of tea that are generally found in the market are white, green, oolong and black tea. In addition to these, there are scented teas, flavored teas and many other value added teas in the market. Iced tea is also quite popular in the west.

The way tea is drunk also differs according to the region or country. Japan has a tea ceremony and the Chinese also have many rituals connected with tea that have been handed down from the time it was first discovered by the Chinese emperor, Shen Nung, five thousand years ago. Tea is also regarded as a medicinal drink and is brewed and drunk in combination with either spices or herbs for soothing relief from many ailments such as stomach aches etc. Researches cannot pinpoint on exactly what tea is good for but most people believe that it is good for heart disease, a stroke, as a calming effect on the nerves and cancer. Tea is also used in cuisine from beverages, cocktails to cookery. It gives a delicate flavor to anything cooked with a bit of tea and in the east it is used to enhance the taste of poultry.

You have only to experience the heady aroma of a finely brewed cup of tea or pass by a tea factory to fall in love with this incredible fruity, flowery and clean taste and scent that is given out by the tea leaves and you will immediately understand the romance the world has had with this particular beverage over the centuries.