Camellia sinensis is indigenous to China and parts of India. Earlier the wild tea plant can develop into a tree 30 meters high, so that monkeys were trained to pick the leaves and throw them down for collection below.

Today, under cultivation, Camellia Sinensis is kept to a height of approximately one meter for easy plucking purposes. It is cultivated as a plantation crop, likes acidic soil and a warm climate with at least 50 inches of rain per annum. Tea from individual plantations has developed its own character and taste, depending on the direction of the growing slopes and weather conditions at the time of plucking leaf and manufacture from green leaf to black tea. Tea breaks down into three basic types: black, green and oolong.

Black tea is fully oxidized or fermented and yields a hearty-flavored, amber brew. It undergoes five manufacturing stages referred to as withering, rolling, fermenting, firing and sorting.

Green tea is the unfermented form. It has a more delicate taste and is light green/golden in color. The leaves are steamed in order to inactivate the enzymes after which it undergoes rolling, firing and sorting.

Oolong tea is partly oxidized, prepared by series of withering, gentle rolling and drying steps and is a cross between black and green tea in color and taste.

Herbal teas contain no true tealeaves. They are created from the flowers, berries, peels, seeds, leaves and roots of many different plants.