The World Of

Tea

BY REBECCA WOOD(5B)

Contents

Where does tea Originate from?....................................Page 1

Types of tea………………………………………………………………………Page 2

Tea Plucking………………………………………………………………..Page 3-4

Tea Processing …………………………………………………………………Page 5

Tea Packing…………………………………………………………………….Page 6

Tea Related Items…………………………………………………………Page 7

Did you know?!..........................................................Page 8

Tea Crossword……………………………………………………………..Page 9

Glossary………………………………………………………………………..Page 10

References…………………………………………………………………….Page 11

Where Does Tea Originate From?Tea was first found in China 3000 years ago and has been known as a popular drink there since 2700 BC. Tea plants are also indigenous to India. Both leaves and buds come of the tea plant called the Camellia Sinensis. There are two types of plant, The Small leaved China Plant Called

the Camellia Sinensis Sinensis, and the large leaved Assam plant called the Camellia Sinensis Assamica there

are also Hybrid varieties.

Assam Plant

China Plant

Types Of Teas Page 1

These are the three main types of Tea

Green Tea- Grown on the Small Leaved China Plant (Camellia Sinensis Sinensis) and it is oxidized only

a little bit.

Black Tea- Grown on The Assam Plant (Camellia Sinensis Assamica) Or Hybrid Varieties. It is oxidized as much as

possible.

Oolong Tea-Grown on a special China Plant found in South China and Taiwan only. Oolong tea is semi

oxidized.

P2

Tea PlukingTea is grown on a tea bush. A tea leaf is

shiny green and pointy. Each tea bush is 1

meter high. The bushes are cut into fan shapes with a flat top so the leaves are

easier to pluck. This style of shape is called the plucking plateau. Each bush has about

1.5 × 1 meters area in total.

Tea is plucked by hand as it is too delicate for any machinery to handle. The tea leaves

are only plucked when the leaves are mature which takes up to 7-14 days. After they are

plucked they are left to wilt and oxidize. The oxidization gives different tastes and flavors

to the tea.

The tea leaves are plucked and then put into a basket on the back of the plucker. When the basket is full it is taken to be weighed. Then the leaves are carried in bunches to

Page 3The factory. pluckers plucking near the

factory will just take the leaves there to be weighed. Then the factory workers start the

processing.

Page 4

Tea Prossecing

After the tea is taken to the factory the factory workers spread the leaves onto trays

and leave them to wilt. This stage can sometimes take up to 16 hours. After that,

two machines the orthodox and the unorthodox crush the leaves. Next the leaves

are dried in a hot chamber and the leaves turn a blackish brown colour. Then they are taken to another piece of machinery called the Sift to sort the sizes of the leaves. Then they are packed into tea bags or chests and off they go on their way to the supermarket! There are also tea tasters to taste if there are any major mistakes in the taste of the

tea.

Page 5Tea Packing

Tea can be packed in many different ways there are tea bags, tea sacks, tea chests, tea eggs, tea balls, tea buds and sometimes just

free, lose tea leaves.

This is a tea chest: This is a tea bag:

These are tea balls: and this is a tea leaf:

Page 6

Tea Related

itemsThese are all things and equipment to make, Drink, and enjoy tea.

Page 7

Did You know?!British have been drinking tea for over 350 years?!165,000,000 cups of tea are drunk in Britain per day?!Tea contains 50% less caffeine than coffee?!Tea in Tibet is considered as an almost holy drink?!Black tea is the most commonly drunk tea in the world?!Chinese doctors used to tell sick people to drink tea as a medicine?!Until the 1600’s AD, people only drank tea in china, nobody else knew about it?!The English word ‘tea’ comes from the Chinese word ‘te’?!

Page 8

Glossary1. Indigenous-natural to the country2. camellia sinensis-tea bush3. hybrid-plant of mixed origin4. oxidized-allow to react with oxygen in the air5. mature- to become fully grown6. orthodox- rolls the leaves7. unorthodox- cuts, tears and curls the leaves8. sift- to separate size particles

Page 10

Referenceshttp://www.tea.co.uk/teafacts

http://www.strange-facts.info/interesting-facts-about-tea

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/food/tea.htm

Page 11