Tea

Tea in the strict culinary sense is the dried leaves and buds of the tea plant, infused in water to make a beverage. Processing, including oxidation and heating, produces familiar categories such as green, black, white and oolong tea. The word is also used for the prepared infusion, so a product’s form should be clear when discussing the ingredient.

Dry tea leaves are lightweight, brittle and aromatic; brewed tea is a liquid whose colour, aroma and flavour depend on the leaf and brewing. Tea is sold loose or in bags, and may be plain or blended with other ingredients. Herbal infusions made from plants other than tea leaves are not the same ingredient.