Tea is simply an infusion made with the leaves from the evergreen plant, Camellia sinensis.
The plant is now widely grown in India, Ceylon and east Africa as well as in its homeland, China. The dark green glossy leaves
are processed in a variety of ways to produce teas with different flavours.
Green tea, like gunpowder, is produced by allowing the leaves to dry or wither in the open air, then the leaves are steamed,
rolled and dried. Black teas such as Ceylon, Assam and Darjeeling, are produced from picked and withered leaves which are then
broken to release the enzymes, the leaves are allowed to ferment for 3½ - 4½ hours before being dried in a warm air oven. By
arresting the fermenting process for a black tea, a semi-fermented tea is produced with a different flavour.