Tea Guide: The Scoop on Tea Terroir

Tea is regional just like many other foods. Often these regions influence taste or the name of the tea. Learn more about terroir and what it means for tea in this short guide. It's packed with little tidbits to help you better understand the tea world so you can find the teas on Foodzie you'll enjoy most.

• Like wine, coffee and chocolate, tea’s flavors are vastly influenced by terroir, or the taste imparted by growing location. Everything down to which side of a hill tea is grown on changes the end result.
• Nilgiri is a growing region in India known for its sweetly perfumed teas, which are incredible iced.
• Southern China is home to many tea-growing regions, each of which has unique growing and processing styles that result in an enormous range of tastes. It is where white, green, oolong, black and puer teas originated.
• Taiwan is known for artisanal oolongs with unparalleled complexity and depth. Some Taiwanese oolong producers are taking their plants and skills to China and Thailand due to high land and labor costs in Taiwan.
• Traditional tea origins include China, Japan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and India. New, emerging origins include Bengal, Thailand, Vietnam, the U.S. and Kenya.
• Teas’ flavors change depending on when they are grown and harvested. Generally, spring teas are considered to be the best, followed by summer teas. Even a few days can make a huge difference in flavor.
• Teas plucked in the spring are usually called spring teas, “first flush” teas or (with Japanese Sencha) Shincha. Summer teas are also called “second flush” and autumnal teas are called “third flush.” In Japan, sencha harvested after the first flush is called “bancha”.
• The tea bush will grow into a tree if left untrimmed. It can grow in areas with moderate to tropical climates, including San Francisco (where Foodzie is based). There are currently tea gardens in Hawaii, Washington, South Carolina and Alabama.

Related Producers

Chad's Chai & Tea Company Winston Salem, North Carolina

Tavalon Tea Wood-Ridge, New Jersey