What is Tea? :Page 3

Tea Production :Page 4

Interesting Facts about Tea :Page 7

Different Types of Tea :Page 8

Tea Quiz :Page 9

Matching Game :Page 10

Answers :Page 11

References :Page 12

Glossary :Page 13

2

• "Tea" refers to the aromatic beverage prepared by

combining cured leaves with hot or boiling water.

• After water, tea is the most widely consumed

beverage in the world.

• Tea-plant, also known as Camellia sinensis, is an

evergreen plant that grows mainly in tropical and

sub-tropical climates.

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• A new tea-plant must grow for five years before its

leaves can be picked.

• The trunk of the old plant must be cut off to force

new stems to grow out in the coming year.

• All types of tea, white, green, oolong, and black,

come from the same plant, the Camellia sinensis.

4

• After skilled workers pick the tea leaves, they must

be parched in tea-cauldrons.

• The tea-cauldrons are heated electrically to a

temperature of about 250C or 740F.

• It takes four pounds of fresh leaves to produce one

pound of parched tea.

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• Once the tea leaves are fully dried, they are ready

to be chopped into very small pieces.

• The chopped tea leaves are then packaged in

various different ways to be sold to customers.

• Some of the tea are produced for export market,

but a lot is kept for local market.

6

1. Tea drinking is believed to have originated in China when tea

leaves, blown by the wind, accidentally fell into a Chinese

Herbalist's pot of hot water in 2700 BC.

2. There are four main types of tea: white, green, oolong, and

black. Depending on the culture, these four types can turn

into thousands of varieties.

3. The tea bag was invented in the early 20th century by a tea

merchant named Thomas Sullivan.

4. The Camellia sinensis tea plant can produce tea for 50 years.

5. Iced tea was invented in America, and is the most consumed

"prepared tea type" in America.

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1. Black Tea: Once picked, the black tea leaves are rolled until they

start to darken and turn red; the darkened leaves are spread out

and opened to air for 2 to 3 days.

2. Oolong Tea: Tea leaves sit for about 45 minutes in the sun, turned

frequently for air to reach all of the leaves. After the sun time,

the leaves are moved to sit in the shade for a few hours at room

temperature.

3. Green Tea: Once picked, the green tea leaves are dried slightly in

the cool shade for a few hours. After they have cooled, the green

tea leaves are quickly steamed or roasted for a couple minutes.

4. White Tea: White tea leaves are picked before they open fully,

when the flower buds are still covered by thin white hairs, giving

this tea its name. White teas are scarcer than any other tea, and

more expensive.

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1. How long does a tea leaf need to grow before

it can be picked?

2. What is the second most widely consumed

beverage in the world?

3. What are the four types of tea?

4. How many pounds of fresh leaves does it take

to produce one pound of parched tea?

5. What equipment is used to parch the tea

leaves?

9

Place the following pictures in the correct order of tea production.

1 2 3

4 5 6

10

1. How long does a tea leaf need to grow before it can be picked?

5yrs

2. What is the second most widely consumed beverage in the world?

Tea

3. What are the four types of tea?

Black, Oolong, Green, White

4. How many pounds of fresh leaves does it take to produce one

pound of parched tea?

4 pounds

5. What equipment is used to parch the tea leaves?

Tea-cauldrons

3 4 6 1 2 5

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Websites used: • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea

• http://www.wtea.com/about-tea_growth.aspx

• http://www.fmltea.com/Teainfo/tea-production.htm

• http://dictionary.reference.com

• http://www.planet-tea.com/teas_origin.html

• http://www.the-color-of-tea.com/tea-facts.html

• http://www.coffeeteawarehouse.com/tea-types.html

Images used: • Google Images

• Yahoo Images

12

1. Aromatic: having an aroma; fragrant or sweet-scented

2. Cured: to prepare (meat, plant, etc.) for preservation by drying

3. Consumed: to take in as food; eat or drink up

4. Camellia sinensis: a tropical evergreen tree cultivated in China,

Japan and India; source of tea leaves

5. Tropical climates: usually located closer to the equator; have

steady, warm temperatures that support the growth of tropical

plants

6. Sub-tropical climates: non tropical climates with relatively warm

Winters, but not as hot as the summer season

7. Parched: to make extremely dry, especially by exposure to heat

8. Tea-cauldrons: large metal pot used for drying tea leaves

9. Herbalist: one skilled in the harvesting and collection of medicinal

plants

10. Scarce: not plentiful or abundant

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