Where does the tea come from?

The tea bush

Tea comes from the Camellia family of plants, and there are two main species of tea bush; being Camellia sinensis that originated from China, and Camellia assamica that originated from India. Several hybrids have been developed from these two two species in order to be adaptable to differing conditions. The Camellia bush is an evergreen with a small white flower, and grow up to 20 metres if left to grow wild. There are four main types of tea: Black Tea, Green Tea, Oolong Tea and White Tea, with non-traditional teas such as Herbal and Fruit Flavoured Infusions.

Selection of plants for Twining's tea

Many conditions affect the growth of the Camellia plant, such as climate, altitude and humidity, as well how the crop is cared for, will create great variation in how the tea tastes. Twining's sources its tea from many estates and plantations around the world, and does not own specific tea plantations, meaning that they can choose the best quality of tea leaves for their blends.

Sources of tea for Twining's

• Brazil: Tea is produced at Registro, Sao Paulo. This tea is bright and golden coloured, with a unique, dessicated coconut character. It has excellent blending properties.
• Argentina: Almost all of the teas are grown in the North-East of the country. These teas have neutral flavours, and are well suited to iced teas.
• Malawi: Tea seeds were planted here in 1878. Tea growing is now done in the far south around Thyolo and Mulanje in the Shire highlands. A reddish liquor is produced from these teas, and they are adapted for tea bag use.
• South Africa: Tea growing was introduced here in 1850. It is mainly grown in the east of the country, and is suited for tea bag varieties.
• Tanzania: The two main growing areas are in the North and the South. They are characterized by their brightness and colour.
• Kenya: One of the world's biggest producers of black teas. The best teas are found East of the African Rift Valley. Their tea has a good colour and is an excellent blending component.
• India: Another big producer of black teas. There are several varieties in the thousands of tea fields across the country. 
• Sri Lanka: Tea is grown in the southern half of the island. They produce a blend known as Ceylon.
• Taiwan: Specialize in Oolong teas.
• Indonesia: Produce orthodox teas.
• China: They produce the largest variety of teas worldwide. Zhejiang, which is south of Shanghai, is known for their green teas, as well as areas that are further south.
• Japan: They produce a variety of green teas, with the tea growing areas situated in the southern half of Honshu and the smaller islands of Shikoko and Kyushu.

Tea for Twining's Green Tea can therefore be sourced from either China or Japan, but it is not possible to pinpoint an exact location since they buy their tea from such a variety of places.

Tea plantation