Tea comes from the evergreen shrub Camellia sinensis, native to East Asia. The same plant produces green, black, white, and oolong tea — the differences come from how the leaves are processed after picking. Black tea is fully oxidised, green tea is minimally oxidised, and oolong falls somewhere in between.
Tea has been consumed for thousands of years, originating in China and spreading along trade routes to become a global staple. It is deeply embedded in the cultures of China, Japan, India, the United Kingdom, and many other countries. Australia is predominantly a black tea market, though green tea and specialty varieties have grown significantly in popularity.
The tea plant also produces seeds that yield tea seed oil, used in cooking in parts of China. However, the overwhelming commercial significance of the plant lies in its leaves.
How it's produced
Tea is grown in tropical and subtropical highland regions where warm days, cool nights, and high rainfall produce the best leaf quality. The major producing countries are China, India, Kenya, and Sri Lanka. Tea plants are grown from seed or cuttings and are kept pruned to waist height to form a flat picking surface called a plucking table.
Harvesting involves picking the top two leaves and the bud — the youngest growth, which has the most flavour. In high-quality production this is done by hand; in larger-scale operations, mechanical harvesters are used. After picking, the leaves are withered, rolled, oxidised (or not, depending on the type), and dried. The entire process from fresh leaf to finished tea can take less than a day. Australia has a small but growing tea industry, primarily in northern New South Wales and tropical Queensland.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
≈ Estimated from its category — typical for vegetables, not measured for this item yet. Sources & methods →
Keeping it
Keep it: in a sealed container away from moisture.
Advice from Cubud’s own keeping notes — how to keep it, not a measured number.
What comes from this
Your household's take
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