Tea or Tisane?

Filed in archive Morsels of Info on April 7, 2006

Nowadays, anyone living in a city or suburb in almost any part of the world is blessed with food choices unknown to the last generation. Many varieties of tea are some of those things.

Green tea, black tea, iced tea, blueberry tea, tea bags, loose leaf tea and all manner of tea preparations. Are these all tea?

Strictly speaking, true tea only comes from the dried leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. It was first cultivated in China and found in the wild in India. True tea contains polyphenols which have been linked to cancer prevention.

There are four general varieties of tea known in the world. Green tea is made by immediately steaming or pan-firing freshly picked leaves to prevent them from fermenting. Green tea is better known in Asia but is now being noticed in the US. Black tea goes through a rather long processing: withering, rolling, sorting, fermentation and drying. It is this variety which is commonly known in the US and most of Europe. Types of black tea include Assam, Ceylon, Darjeeling, Earl Grey, Lapsang Souchong and many others. Oolong tea is in between Green and Black teas. Partly oxidised, it has the combined taste and colour qualities of the two. It is best taken without milk or sugar. White tea is not processed and is just withered and dried under the sun after which the leaves are sorted by hand. It is a mild tea compared to other varieties but contains the most polyphenols.

Herbal teas such as chamomile, hibiscus, chrysanthemum, lime blossom, red raspberry, hierba mate, rosehip and other fruit-flavoured beverages are called tisane from the French meaning an 'infusion'. These are not considered true teas since these do not contain Camellia sinensis leaves. These are made from dried leaves and herbs and have been consumed to refresh or as healing tonics for centuries.

There is also the matter of the flavoured tea which is a combination of true tea leaves and fruits, herbs or spices. Earl Grey is one example, where black tea is blended with bergamot.

One name, a variety of blends. Now we know the difference. Now we can ask "coffee, tea, tisane or me?"!

Further reading: Tea FAQ from Stash Tea.