Salads Tea Tea is a drink made by steeping dried plant parts in hot water. Black tea , like all non-herbal tea, is made from leaves of the resinous evergreen shrub Camellia sinensis . The leaves are dried and fermented to achieve a rich flavor. Semi-fermented tea varieties are less oxidized than black tea, but not as pure as green tea. Many semi-fermented teas are blended with pungent flowers such as jasmine.
Green tea is unfermented and has a fresh, herby flavor.
Tea blends of black and semi-fermented varieties come from several Asian nations, including China, Darjeeling in India, Sri Lanka, and Taiwan. Their flavors may be flowery, citrus-like, or smoky. Mat or yerba mat , the drink of preference in Paraguay and neighboring regions of Brazil and Argentina, is brewed from toasted wild holly leaves. A stimulant, it contains caffeine and tannin. Chai concentrate contains a mix of teas and spices, just requiring the addition of water, milk, or milk substitute before heating.