What is Tea
The tea plant under natural conditions is an evergreen tree and wildly grows into a medium size tree. Under cultivation, it is pruned down and trained as low spreading bush to ensure that a maximum crop of young shoots can be obtained and maintained. The root system of a tea bush can be divided into main roots, subsidiary roots and feeder roots. The lateral roots give rise to a surface mat of feeding roots which lack root hairs when mature. Root system varies in tea bushes depending on genetic make up and soil environment. Starch is stored in roots.
The tea plant prefers warm temperatures, humidity and plenty of rainfall. The finest teas grow at elevations more than 4000 ft (1342m) where cool temperatures in the early morning and evening slow the rate at which new shoots are pushed out, where the intense heat during the day encourages the development of flavour in the leaves, and where the clouds that swirl around mountain peaks feed the plant with the moisture that they love.