What is a tea plant and tea culture?

This page is dedicated to the art of tea from the Chinese tea tree (Camellia sinensis) and the tea culture, which is widespread in Asia in every aspect of society, and is gradually penetrating the entire world. Drinking tea is similar to the traditional European culture of drinking herbal decoctions, which is, however, associated with traditional medicine, and therefore does not create conditions for social gatherings, as when drinking tea from the Chinese tea tree in Asia. There too, this drink is considered beneficial to health, but at the same time it invigorates the body and has mild sedative effects. In our country, such effects, but on a larger scale, can be compared to drinking wine from grapes (Vitis Vinifera). The culture of drinking wine is not as far removed from the culture of drinking tea as it might seem at first glance. Unlike the alcohol contained in wine, tea contains theine (caffeine bound to tannins) and the relaxant L-theanine, which can cause excited and relaxed moods in guests. Just as red wine contains the powerful antioxidant resveratrol with multiple health benefits, green tea also (and not only) contains the powerful antioxidant EGCG (Epigallocatechin-3-gallate). The similarity of these two cultures can also be observed in the sensory properties during tastings, which are unique in the world. In descriptions of color, aroma, taste, or aftertaste, tea and wine are very close. The biggest difference is their form and preparation. Wine is suitable for consumption immediately after opening the bottle, but tea requires time and information to prepare. On the other hand, you can always have tea with you and make it anywhere you can boil water. And here we come to the essence of what it actually means to prepare “good tea”. The basis is to have good water and, of course, good tea. Without good water, even good tea can become bland. However, there are many aspects of good water, which is why I will dedicate a separate blog to it.

What is a tea plant and tea culture? 
 
The Chinese tea plant is an evergreen plant, with the Latin name Camellia sinensis. It blooms from the end of October to the end of December. You can see it in the opening picture, which I took of my home tea plant, or here:

The tea leaf harvest begins in early spring, but the finest tea leaves from some early cultivars (such as Fuding Dabai) are picked as early as February. Generally, the harvest begins before the Chinese Tomb-Sweeping Festival (Qingming 清明节), which is always calculated according to the lunar calendar around the beginning of April. The type of leaves picked at harvest depends mainly on the type of tea to be processed. 
 
There are 6 types of tea: white, yellow, green, blue-green/wu-long (semi-oxidized), black (fully-oxidized) and dark teas. All of these types of tea use green leaves of the Chinese tea plant, from which different types of tea are obtained through various processing. Processing begins with plucking the leaves by shaking them, then it can be followed by roasting in a wok, or steaming, when the enzymatic reaction is stopped, to the Chinese shaqing (shaqing 杀青) or the “kill green” process. If this process achieves a completely dry leaf, then this tea remains green. However, this process can only be done to a certain extent and then the leaves can be further processed by rolling, oxidizing, or further drying, e.g. in the sun. There will be room for each type of tea separately.