ABSTRACT
TEA is the most widely consumed beverage in the world, and the history - of tea drinking can be traced back to the ancient Shen-Nong time (2737 BC). In some parts of Asia (i.e., China, Japan, and India), tea is not only a beverage but also a part of traditional culture. Although tea is only produced in a relatively small number of countries (e.g., China, India, Japan, Sri-Lanka, and some North Africa countries), tea products are available almost anywhere in the world. Various types of tea are being manufactured from the leaves of the same tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Among the approximately 2.5 million metric tons of dried tea leaves manufactured annually, black tea accounts for about 78%; green tea, including jasmine tea, 20%; and oolong tea, 2% (Mukhtar et al., 1994; Stoner and Mukhtar, 1995). However, it should be pointed out that most herbal tea products in the Western markets actually contain no tea or very little tea.
