History – Varieties and cultivation
Tea: production, sensorial and health properties

Tea, which originated in Southeast Asia, has become a globally consumed beverage (Box 1) . It is thought to have first spread from its area of origin on the borders of China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam to neighboring countries, including Indonesia. Its arrival in Japan, transported by Buddhist monks in 650 CE, can be dated with some accuracy, and it then took eight centuries for it to leave the monasteries and become a drink...