Is there tea in a loaded tea? Some contain actual tea extracts, while others may contain little or no tea from Camellia sinensis. What Actually Makes Something Tea? Sweet tea, loaded tea, herbal tea, green tea. They all have tea in the name, but they aren't necessarily the same thing. If you've spent any time in the South lately, you've probably noticed the colorful drinks called loaded teas. They're everywhere, often sporting bright colors, fruity flavors, and names that sound more like tropical vacations than something you'd find in a teapot. And people love them! But here's something that might surprise you. Not every drink called tea actually contains tea. So, what makes something real tea? Technically, true tea comes...
Quick Answer Tea is made by harvesting the young leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) and carefully processing them. The main steps are withering, rolling, oxidation (or preventing oxidation), drying, and sorting. The way these steps are performed determines whether the tea becomes green, black, oolong, yellow, white, or another style. Despite the many varieties of tea, they all begin with the same plant. It All Starts With Fresh Tea Leaves Every true tea begins with Camellia sinensis. While there are many cultivars grown around the world, the journey starts the same way: harvesting fresh leaves. The quality of the finished tea depends on many factors, growing conditions, including the season, weather, the age of the leaves, and how...