What is Tea?

Although Webster’s Dictionary defines tea quite succinctly, and scientifically, a more colorful definition comes from the Tea Dictionary (Pratt): [tea is] “a miracle of vegetation that became a treasure of the world as medicine, beverage, currency and communion – the wellspring of empires, industries and art.”

Tea has been treasured for centuries, with legend placing the discovery of tea around 2700 BC in China. First found growing wild in the Yunnan region of China, tea spread from there to many other countries – Taiwan, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Korea, and the list goes on. (For information on the spread and development of tea throughout the world see our section on Tea Cultures.)

There is much debate over whether a drink which does not contain the camellia sinensis plant can be called “tea”. In most cultures, the answer would be no. Instead, beverages made from herbs, roots, etc. (such as chamomile or peppermint) would be more properly called herbal tisanes or infusions. Here in the United States, however, it is quite common to call any beverage which involves steeping something in hot water “tea”!

At Keria Teas we focus on a particular section of the tea industry: estate specialty teas. These types of teas are typically from a single estate, or tea garden, and are handmade using the first two leaves and the bud on a new shoot of the tea plant. Estate teas will often vary from year to year based on conditions at the estate, creating unique opportunities to taste exceptional teas over the course of time! By comparison, teas can be made from the lower, courser leaves of the plant, and many teas are successfully blended with teas from many different estates with the goal being taste consistency for many years. These types of teas are typically machine harvested. Although these teas can be quite good, they do tend to lack the flavor complexities of a specialty tea.

Explore our many teas and find your own personal favorites! Or take our Tea Profile Quiz to help you decide what tea you are in the mood for today!