You have already learned the fundamentals regarding java, but in fact, there’s a good deal of complexity that is located below a Tea Master or even Grower’s hunt for the perfect cup. In this lesson, we will dig a bit deeper into the wonderful Camellia sinensis (cam-MEE-lee-ah sin-EN-sis) plant.

Camellia sinensis a part of the family. The leaves are green with edges. When permitted to blossom (flowering is averted during farming by harvesting the leaves, forcing the plant to continuously create more buds) the plant produces small white flowers with bright yellow stamens. Includes a single brown seed and a green casing. The seeds may be used to make tea.

Camellia sinensis is sold in also a third, which is not utilized in tea farming along with two varieties. The Camellia sinensis Sinensis plant breed is derived from China and is utilized to create teas that are white and green. Green teas and Many teas are made using this particular variety. The Camellia sinensis assamica breed is native to the Assam area in India. This plant is ordinarily used for black tea, in addition to Pu-erh tea at Yunnan province, China (in Yunnan, it is possible to discover ancient tea trees; those are Assamica variety, also ). The third variety is Camellia sinensis Cambodians (the “Java bush”). While it’s been crossbred to attain certain traits in different cultivars (ie:’cultivated variety’), the Java bush isn’t typically utilized in commercial tea creation. We will leave that for the tea drinkers, although there are approximately 1,500 cultivars derived from the two varieties.

Camellia sinensis Sinensis (China)

The China plant grows best in cool temperatures on mountain slopes. At elevations around 9,500 feet, it yells. Due to the climate and altitude, the China plant will generally rise to between 5 and 15 feet tall, so if left unattended and also create leaves around 2 inches long. The mountain produces a harvest of tender leaves which give a sweeter, a less astringent cup.

The China plant is generally pruned to be waist high with a flat surface allowing easier plucking of their new expansion. Due to the climate, the season is half the calendar year, along with the plant will yield no more than five pluckings annually. The China plant will probably be dormant throughout the winter. In this period, the plant is keeping its power and nutrients and also the very first spring”flush” of new growth provides a number of the best teas in the world with the greatest concentrations of desired flavors and crucial elements that give the health advantages in tea.

Camellia sinensis assamica (Assam, India)

The Assamica (ah-SAH-mee-ka) breed is native to the Assam area in Northern India. Generous rain humidity and hot temperatures allow this bigger, more tea variety to flourish. The Assamica plant will grow to between 30 and 60 feet if left unattended and also create much bigger (around 8 inches) leaves. During the year, the Assamica plant could be chosen under conditions with fertilization. Due to the yields, it’s the harvest in Africa, Sri Lanka, and Northeast India. The climate in Sri Lanka enables the harvest out of the bush that is hardy to keep year-round. The Assamica foliage is excellent for creating strong, malty teas. Chinese teas requiring more lengthy creation, such as pu’erh and oolong, are made in this Assamica plant’s leaves.