What Is the Camellia Sinensis?

Video Transcript

"Hi, so in order for us to understand what is tea, we have to understand where it comes from. Tea actually comes from the tea plant. It's also called the Camellia Sinensis. And the tea plant has very different varietals. There are over a few thousand that exists, most of them are in China. But to break it down, into two different species, there is the Camellia Assamica and then there's the Camellia Sinensis, which is the Chinese version of the tea plant and the Assamica is the Indian version. Now, the Assamica can grow up to from thirty feet to fifty feet and they're trees. And in China, they're actually bushes that grow, maybe about three feet to five feet most. And they are usually prune throughout the year. The Asamica plant will go throughout the whole year and you can pick it year round. But the Chinese plant has distinct picking time. Maybe from three to five times, depending on regions as well."