tea: Quick Facts

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Oct. 22, 2026

News •

How you drink your tea could determine whether you gain or lose heart health benefits • Oct. 21, 2026, 3:01 AM ET (CNN)

Photos and Videos

Neatly planted rows of green tea bushes stretch across rolling fields with Mount Fuji, capped with snow, rising in the background in Japan.

Tea pickers wearing hats and long sleeves harvest tea leaves on a lush green plantation in Chiang Rai, Thailand, with baskets strapped to their backs.

Close-up of vibrant green leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, growing densely together.

This flowchart-style diagram illustrates the tea production process, from harvesting tea leaves through steps like withering, steaming, rolling and breaking, conditioning and maceration, fermentation, drying, grading, and packing. Colored arrows indicate the different processing paths for white, green, oolong, and black teas, showing how each tea type follows a unique combination of steps before reaching the final packing stage.

A bowl of frothy matcha green tea sits beside a wooden container of matcha powder, a bamboo whisk, a wooden scoop, a black teapot, and fresh tea leaves.

The secret to brewing a good cup of tea

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Topics

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Key People

Thomas Lipton

Thomas Lipton

British merchant

Fruit. Grape. Vitis vinifera. Blauer Portugieser. Wine. Wine grape. Autumn. Grape leaves. Two clusters of Blauer Portugieser grapes on the vine.

Drink to This

Herbal teas in white porcelain dishes over a bamboo background.

Properties of Herbal Teas Quiz