Making tea · Bamboo ValleyScience for kids

Do green tea and black tea come from the same plant?

In short: Yes. Green, black, oolong and white tea all come from one plant, the tea plant. They look and taste different mainly because the picked leaves are processed in different ways: withered, heated, rolled, oxidised and dried.

How it works

Freshly picked tea leaves are crisp, so they are first spread out to wither, losing some water and turning soft. For green tea, the leaves are then quickly heated in a pan or with steam. Heat stops the leaf's enzymes, natural helpers that would make it change colour, so the leaves stay green.

Rolling means twisting and pressing the leaves. This breaks open their cells and shapes them into strands or little balls. For black tea, the rolled leaves are left out in the air, where they slowly turn dark brown. This is called oxidation, just like a bitten apple turning brown.

Finally the leaves are dried so they keep for a long time without going mouldy. Real tea making has more steps than this, and every kind of tea uses its own timing and heat, which is how a single kind of plant can give so many flavours.

Where to see it in New Zealand

A very common native shrub here is mānuka, nicknamed 'tea tree'. Captain Cook's crew are recorded as brewing its leaves into a drink. But mānuka is not the real tea plant at all; it belongs to the myrtle family, a completely different group of plants.

Try it together

Put a green tea bag and a black tea bag into two glasses of cold water. Wait about an hour, then compare the colour and smell of each. Gently open the bags and compare the colours of the leaves too.

Kids also ask

Is peppermint tea real tea?

People call it tea, but strictly speaking, real tea is made only from the tea plant. Peppermint and chamomile drinks are made from other plants and are usually called herbal teas or infusions.

Why are black tea leaves so dark?

They have been fully oxidised. Once the rolled leaves meet the air, substances inside them slowly change colour, like a cut apple browning. Green tea is heated early, which stops this, so it stays green.

Where does tea grow?

Tea plants like warm, wet places with plenty of rain, and are often grown on well-drained hillsides. Large tea gardens are found in countries such as China, India, Sri Lanka and Kenya.

In the game, “Making tea” is a nature card on Bamboo Valley.

Your child finds this card by reaching the right place or meeting the right weather on the island, and lights it up by answering the question on the back. Tap the button below and the game shows your child which island it is on and how to find it. Mochi Isle is a browser learning game for ages 5 to 18; the main island and the daily lesson are free.

Find “Making tea” on the island ↗ All cards from Bamboo Valley