Plant & Botany
/kuh-MEEL-yuh sy-NEN-sis/
The single plant species from which all true tea — white, green, oolong, black, dark — is made.
An evergreen shrub native to East Asia. Every cup of true tea, regardless of colour or style, comes from a leaf of this one species. Herbal infusions like rooibos and chamomile are not technically tea — they are tisanes.
Related terms
The small-leaf Chinese variety of the tea plant — refined flavours, cold-tolerant, ideal for green and white teas.
The large-leaf Indian variety — vigorous, bold, the workhorse behind Assam, Ceylon and most African black teas.
An infusion made from any plant other than Camellia sinensis — chamomile, mint, rooibos, hibiscus.
From the Journal
Three of Japan's most famous green teas come from the same plant. The differences are everything — and once you know them, you'll never confuse them again.
by Sameera
Not green, not black — oolong is the in-between family that rewards craft. The science (and art) of partial oxidation, explained.
by Sameera
Almost no processing, almost no caffeine — and a flavour profile most drinkers have never properly tasted. A primer on the gentlest tea family.
by Sameera
We travel to the first-flush gardens of West Bengal to meet the hands behind the world's most delicate black tea.
by Sameera
An hour south of Kyoto, a riverbank town has been growing the world's finest matcha for 800 years. A field report.
by Sameera
Until 1869, Sri Lanka grew coffee. A fungal blight killed every plant on the island. The British replanted with tea — and one of the world's great tea regions was born.
by Sameera
The Tea List dispatch
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