The three primary components of brewed tea are essential oils that provide delicious aromas and flavors, polyphenols that provide briskness, and natural caffeine that provides an energy boost.

It takes around 2,000 tiny leaves to make just one pound of finished tea. The tea plant grows naturally in the woods throughout much of Asia. The best tea is usually grown at higher elevations, and often, on steep slopes. Many of the teas produced for large-scale commercial production are grown in flat, lowland areas. Some of the finest, hand-plucked teas in the world come from flat fields and lower altitudes.

So, how the tea is grown is just one of many factors to be considered. It can be said that “tea” is anything derived from the Camellia sinensis plant. While sometimes called "tea", anything else is more accurately referred to as an herbal tea or tisane. Tisanes include chamomile, rooibos, and fruit teas.