Camelia Sinensis: The Tea Plant

By Jason Dalrymple
Name the five types of teas… Green, White, Oolong, Black, and Pu’erh. Now, what do these five teas all have in common? They all come from the Camelia Sinensis Plant and in fact, any drink that doesn’t come from the Camelia Sinensis plant is actually not considered tea, it would be considered a tisane or herbal infusion. Considering that tea is the second most popular beverage in the world, behind water, it’s surprising most people don’t know more about this amazing plant.

The Camelia Sinensis, or tea plant, is native to Asia but is grown commercially all around the world. It can grow anywhere with a tropical to sub tropical climate and altitudes from sea level to 7,000 feet. The plant prefers lots of sunlight, and a warm humid environment with plenty of rainfall.

When grown commercially, tea plants are placed close to each other with 1500 to 5500 being planted in an acre of land. These tea plant farms are often called estates or tea gardens and can be grown on plots of land as little as a quarter acre by a family or on hundreds of acres and maintained by a village of workers. The tea plants are typically ready to be harvested when they are five to seven years old and can be plucked for over 100 years.

Within this category of plant, Camelia Sinensis, there are different varietals that lend themselves to making tea. Within these varietals, there are two that are the most prevalent, Camelia Sinensis Sinensis and Camelis Sinensis Assamica. The first one, Camelis Sinensis Sinensis, has a smaller leaf and is indigenous to China while Camelia Sinensis Assamica has a larger leaf and was first found in the Assam district of India. Theoretically each of these varietals is able to make all five types of tea but certain varietals lend themselves to making a certain type.

Jason Dalrymple is a tea entrepreneur living in New York City. A recent graduate of Appalachian State University, his travels within China have inspired him to introduce premium loose leaf tea to American culture under a fun, innovative, and socially conscious brand, Teasy.