Beverage: The Tea Plant

Tea is made from the leaves of an evergreen tree with the botanical name of Camellia sinensis. The plant can grow to be 20 to 30 feet high, but on tea plantations it is constantly cut back so that it is only 2 or 3 feet tall. It spreads into a low bush, from which it is easy to pluck the leaves.

Tea grows best in temperate and tropical zones where the rainfall is heavy and well distributed throughout the year. It can be grown anywhere from sea level to 7,000 feet. The best-quality tea, however, is grown at the higher altitudes.

Tea plants usually are grown from cuttings or seeds. The tea seedlings, or small plants, are carefully placed in the soil about 3 to 5 feet apart. The young plants are often shaded to protect them from the fierce heat of the sun. At least 3 years must go by before a tea plant is ready for plucking. Then the two leaves and bud at the top of each young shoot are plucked. Only new shoots are used. During the growing season, plucking is done every 10 days or so, depending on the climate, the height, and the age of the bushes. The leaves are gathered in baskets by workers, who may each pick as much as 40 pounds a day.

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