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Tea is a caffeinated beverage that is most often served hot. Tea leaves, which come from the tea bush, are steeped in hot water, which allows the flavor, and caffeine that is in the leaves to infuse with the hot water making it a beverage.

Before the tea leaves can be steeped in hot water they must be processed. There are several different ways to process tea leaves, and each method of processing the leaves results in a different type of tea.

Raw tea leaves are processed by oxidation and drying. To process a green tea, only a very small amount of oxidation can take place. This usually is done through steam or a gentle heat source. This tea only takes a day or two to process. To brew green tea you usually just drop the processed leaves directly into a pot of hot water. The leaves will unfold to reveal their full shape. You can then use a filter to strain the leaves out of the hot water, or you can drink the tea with the leaves in the water. Some people enjoy eating the tea leaves after they brew green tea. Although you can buy green tea that has been packaged in tea bags, green tea is best when it is brewed from the whole leaf.

Oolong tea has been oxidized more than green tea so it is usually a darker tea. It only takes a few days to process oolong teas. Both green and oolong teas tend to be of higher quality.

Black tea has been completely oxidized and is very dark or sometimes red. The tea beverage that is made from black tea is often red, but the dry leaves are black.

White tea is a very rare tea that is made from the youngest leaves of the tea bush and they are not oxidized at all. White tea is often expensive because it is so rare.

Tea offers health benefits to those who drink it because it is high in antioxidants, especially white and green teas. Antioxidants help protect your body from reactive oxygen agents in your body such as free radicals. These agents can lead to chemical reactions in your body that can cause harm.

Herbal teas do not contain caffeine and they are actually not teas because they are made from herbs and not from the tea bush. Many herbal teas are classified as teas because they are brewed in hot water like traditional tea from the tea bush. Common herbal teas include mint, chamomile and rosehips.

Tea has been a staple in Chinese and Indian culture since ancient times, but China is considered to be the birthplace of tea. In fact, tea was once used as currency in China.

Many cultures have come to love and enjoy the beverage. In China the tea ritual is part of the Buddhist religion. In England “tea time” and “tea parties” were established among the British. In England and Ireland it is common to drink black tea sometimes called “English Breakfast Tea” with milk and sugar.

There are a variety of tea beverage today including iced tea, Thai iced tea and Chai tea. Iced tea is very popular in the United States and has become so popular that there is an official iced-tea spoon for stirring the beverage. Today tea is the second most popularly consumed beverage ion the world. The only beverage more popular is water.