Tea 201 – Origin – Where Tea is Grown

tea origin by percentage Tea 201   Origin   Where Tea is Grown

Tea Origin by Percentage (c.o. Wikipedia.org)

It would not be a proper lesson on tea without sitting down and discussing the origin of tea.  Where is it grown?  More importantly where can it grow?

Let’s start with tea’s origin.  Where did it originally come from?

Originally its natural form was believed to have originated in China.  The most celebrated of teas come from the area of China known as “The Golden Triangle.” This area is found between the mountains of Huang Shan, Mogan Shan, Qi Shan and Tianmu Shan.

In the country of Taiwan, it is well known for its oolong teas.

India has grown in popularity due its Assam teas (which are grown in the Brahmaputra valley) and Darjeeling teas (which is grown in the ex-British hills of the Himalayas).  Darjeeling teas are known as the “Champagne of teas.”

This also spreads into Nepal.  In their side of the Himalayas, they have their own tea that resembles Darjeeling.

Sri Lanka is the source of the famous and fragrant Ceylon tea.  The principle growing regions of this country are Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula and Uva.

Of course, we can never forget Japan renowned for its green sencha, courser bancha and matcha.

But that’s just the Asian countries.

Tea growing has also made its way to East Africa to the countries of Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, and Tanzania.   These countries have made a dent in the mark by way of making large quantities of black teas.  However, they have not been able to deliver the same quality of Chinese Yunnan or Indian Darjeeling.

But it does not stop there.  Tea growing has also spread to the Americas to the following countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and the good old USA.

Tea has spread all over the world and it will continue to do so as it continues to also grow in popularity.

Pretty cool, no?

Posted in African Tea, American Tea, Article, British Tea, Ceylon Tea, Chinese Tea, Ecuadorian Tea, English Tea, German Tea, Indian Tea, Indonesian Tea, Japanese Tea, Kenyan Tea, Korean Tea, Moroccan Tea, Nepalese Tea, New Zealand Tea, Sri Lankan Tea, Taiwanese Tea, Tea, Tea 101, Tea 201, Thailand | No Comments »

Morning Cup #42 – Organic Brown Rice with Green Tea

MorningCup Morning Cup #42   Organic Brown Rice with Green Tea

A Korean made Organic Brown Rice with Green Tea from Daehan Tea.

This tea is known better as either Genmaicha or Popcorn Tea. Either name effuses the correct picture though. This brews up aromatic and comforting. The roasted notes making it into the aroma nicely while keeping the senses from getting excited.

In the mouth this brews with only the tiniest of astringency and vegetal undertones. The rice takes care of calming both down.

mc 00042 Morning Cup #42   Organic Brown Rice with Green Tea

Morning Cup #42

What’s in your cup?

Posted in Bagged Tea, Flavored Tea, Green Tea, Morning Cup, Organic, Tea, USDA Organic | No Comments »

Mugwort Tea (Puripan Tea Garden)

Oh my gawd! What are you drinking? Why is it so green? Oh, don’t worry. It’s just mugwort tea. This interesting herbal drink from Korea I was introduced to a couple years back by some friends at Puripan Tea Garden in California.

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Posted in Herbal Tea, Korean Tea, Loose Tea, Puripan, Reviews, Tea, Tisane, World Tea Expo, WTE | No Comments »

Reminiscence (Hancha Tea)

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Korean teas an wildly underrepresented in the tea industry as it is today. Largely this seems to be due to their herbal and floral nature as opposed to the Chinese, Indian, Japanese and Sri Lankan “pure” teas most tend to drink day to day.

Regardless, Korea produces some mighty fine teas of both “pure” and herbal beverages. This persimmon leaf tea titled “Reminiscence” from Hancha Tea / TeaClassics is a nice rounded smooth tea.

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Posted in Hancha Tea, Loose Tea, Reviews, Tea, Tisane | No Comments »