green tea and black tea

by miguel sosa jr
(houston, tx)

Tea Question
What kind of plants are green tea and black tea made of, or another words what is green and black tea ?

Answer
Thanks for the question about tea plants. Green tea and black tea are derived from the same plant. The plant is native to China Japan and Asia and it is called the camellia sinensis. Both the buds (new growth) and the leaves are used to make what we know as 'tea'.

White tea, green tea, oolong tea, pu-erh tea and black tea all come from the same type of plant, the camellia sinensis and the different types of tea are derived through the oxidization or drying process.

Most people think that each type of tea comes from a different type of plant, but that is not true.

The leaves that are picked can be turned into a variety of teas - white tea, is the earliest flush and the leaf still has little white hairs on it - this is how it gets the name white tea. But to answer your question specifically, black tea and green tea come from the same plant.

Hope this helps,

Teya