The tea plant is a flowering evergreen shrub. It belongs to the Camellia family and the correct botanical name is Camellia Sinensis.
There are two subspecies: sinensis (originally from China) and assmica (originally from Assam.) They are called Thea sinensis or Thea assamica.
Chinese tea bushes (Camillia sinensis var. sinensis) were discovered over 2000 years ago. This tree can grow up to 4m and has small, fine leaves. The tree is cold resistant and grows slowly. The plant does not produce prolifically but the tea has a very fine aroma.
Assam (Camillia sinensis var assamica) was discovered in the 1820's in Northern India. The tree is a tropical tree and can reach heights of up to 20m. It grows quickly and has bigger leaves and produces a stronger flavour than the Chinese tree.
There is a third tea tree, which is considered artificial or hybrid. This tree is a cross between the two original plants. Tea farmers had tried to combine the weather resistance and the fast growth from the Chinese and Assam trees respectively. Nearly all the tea we drink today comes from hybrid plants.
The tea plant is reproduced by cuttings (a twig with one leaf and one bud.) They are grown for 6 to 18 months (depending on location and weather) in a nursery before being planted into a field. 15 - 20 thousand plants are required for a one hectare tea field.
The bushes need to be pruned regularly and after two to three years of grwoth and constant pruning the plant reaches a height of just on a metre with a density of twigs and leaves. Farmers can now begin harvesting or plucking the tea for consumption. The tea leaves are picked between spring and autumn, and depending on location, weather and the sort of tea leaves can be picked weekly or bi-monthly (basically every 7th or 14th day.)
Similar to the production of wine, the final taste and quality of tea is influenced by contributory factors: climate, soil, altitude, conditions, how it is picked, when it is picked and how it is processed. Tea leaves grow slower at a high altitude. A combination of cool air and humidity promotes the desired slow growth. The higher a tea bush is grown the more flavour it has and the finer its quality. Celyon and the finest Darjeeling (the world's most popular and famous teas) are grown in high altitude 1500 metres above sea level.
