Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world with a history that spans back over 5,000 years and was popular even before the Egyptians built the great pyramids. Since ancient times tea has been revered for its many health benefits and therapeutic properties. Today over 6 billion pounds of tea are harvested annually, with the best loose-leaf tea being compared to the experience of some of the finest wines in the world. As specialty tea become more popular, people are thirsty to learn about the history, hidden benefits and traditions of the different teas that they love. It is the second most consumed drink in the world after water, with approximately 18–20 billion cups of tea consumed daily. There are five major types of tea black, white, oolong. green & dark but many counties consider a few others including pu’erh, and yellow teas on that list. All tea originates from the same plant the Camellia Sinensis, it’s a tropical plant that was originally found in Asia but is now found in many other countries throughout the world. The variety in tea types stem from how the plant is grown, cultivated, plucked and the local environment where the plant grows. These differences give each plant its distinctive color, taste, leaf size and flavor.
Traditionally tea was produced in five main countries China, Japan, India, Taiwan and Sri Lanka, but can now be found in plantations and fields in the USA, South America across Europe, parts of Africa and Australia and is served either as a loose tea or tea bags.