07-12-2017, 09:44 AM
Tea is an aromatic beverage commonly prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured leaves of Camellia sinensis, an evergreen shrub native to Asia. After water, it is the most consumed beverage in the world. There are many different types of tea; Some teas, such as Darjeeling and Chinese greens, have a refreshing, slightly bitter and astringent taste, while others have very different profiles that include sweet, nutty, floral or grassy notes.
The tea originated in southwestern China, where it was used as a medicinal drink. It was popularized as a recreational drink during the Chinese Tang dynasty, and tea consumption spread to other East Asian countries. Portuguese priests and merchants introduced it in Europe during the sixteenth century. During the seventeenth century, tea became fashionable among the British, who began large-scale production and commercialization of the plant in India to bypass the Chinese monopoly.
The term herbal tea usually refers to the infusions of fruits or herbs made without the tea plant, such as rosehip, chamomile or rooibos mats. These are sometimes called tisanes or herbal infusions to avoid confusion with the tea made from the tea plant.