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100% Natural Teas

Tea is the world’s second most popular beverage, after water. More and more people are drinking tea in the United States, joining a booming worldwide trend. Increased understanding of the role antioxidants play in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease has positioned tea as the ideal health beverage. It is a 100% natural, fat-free, calorie-free drink, untainted by additives, and low in caffeine content – tea is the healthy alternative to coffee and alcohol.

 We tend to call many things that we infuse in hot water a tea. But technically speaking, it’s only tea if it’s made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis, an evergreen plant that is indigenous to China and India. The plant was later introduced to Japan and many parts of Southeast Asia. Today tea is grown in over one hundred countries to meet the worldwide demand.

 Many people are surprised to learn that all teas, white, green, oolong and black, are made from the leaves of the same species. While the variety of the particular Camellia sinensis plant as well as the weather conditions and soil contribute to the final taste of the tea, the significant differences of tea type develop in the processing of the leaves.

 The distinguishing factor that determines whether a tea plant will become white, green, oolong, or black tea is oxidation. Oxidation begins after the leaf has been plucked from the plant, and begins a process of being dried, withered, rolled, and heat treated. A black tea is fully oxidized, causing it to turn black, while a white tea is barely oxidized at all, thus retaining its soft, silvery down.