The Tea Plant

Tea is made form the leaves of a plant known as the Camellia sisensis. There are many varieties, sub-varieties,and hybrids,but they are all of the Camellia sisensis family. Tea plant varieties originally varied in size from a large bush up to a 60 foot (20 meter) tree. Today they are all trained to about 3 feet (1 meter) in height to facilitate plucking the leaves.

The leaves of the different varieties range in size from 1 ½ inches to 10 inches. Tea can be grown in many parts of the world with acidic soil and annual minimum rainfall of 45 to 50 inches spread fairly evenly throughout the year. Although tea can be grown at elevations ranging from sea level to 8,000 feet, it is generally accepted that the best tea is grown at altitudes of 3,000 to 7,000 feet.
The quality and taste of tea is dependent on a number of factors: the variety of tea plant, where it is grown, weather during the growing season, the time of the year it is harvested, how it is processed, and the care taken in processing.