Several years ago, we had the opportunity to visit the only tea plantation in the United States while on a family vacation. The photo above is a mug and spoon I purchased there. I purchased quite a few other items as well, but the biggest thing is how my tea buying and drinking has changed since that trip.

Why? Because while touring the Charleston Tea Plantation, we learned that all tea comes from the same plant, a bush called Camellia Sinensis. The thing that affects whether tea is white, Oolong, green (otherwise known as Pu-erh), or black is the length of time the leaves are oxidized. White tea is only oxidized for a very short time and black tea is oxidized for the longest time.

The Charleston Tea Plantation first produced their American Classic tea, while the plantation was owned by William Barclay Hall, who purchased the land in 1987. Hall was a professional tea taster, and during the 17 years that he worked to make the farm a commercial operation, his original “American Classic” tea became the first tea ever to be made with 100% tea grown in America.

Therefore, I learned that many of the so-called teas that we can purchase at the grocery store aren’t tea at all. For instance, Celestial Seasonings and other “herbal” teas aren’t really “teas”. They may be made from herbs and flowers and produce a tasty drink, but there’s no “real tea” in them. So, if you really want to drink tea, check the ingredients list and be sure you see: green or black tea listed. (Those are the most common. I have not seen White or Oolong in an ingredients list yet, but have found White or Oolong tea at the grocery stores.)

One more thing I’d like to point out is that when you purchase tea prepackaged in teabags, you’re getting mostly dust or ground tea. To get a better flavor tea, the best place to buy teas are at local tea shops where they sell “loose leaf” teas. When you buy loose leaf teas, you will actually see that these are tiny dried leaves and they will have a stronger, pleasing aroma.

Since visiting the Charleston Tea Plantation and learning about what tea really is, I drink much more loose leaf tea, and much less tea that comes packaged in tea bags in boxes at the grocery store or that is listed as “herbal”. Some say I have become a “tea snob”, but I still enjoy a cup of prepackaged herbal tea from time to time. One of my favorite teas that I get at local cafes consists of ground tea with lots of spices and a few other things — it’s a powder mix known as Chai. However, I do prefer the richer flavors of real loose leaf teas, and I buy and drink many different types of loose leaf Chai teas too — see photo below for an example of one of the loose leaf teas I purchase and drink.