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This is a restrictive definition of the word 'tea' that is far from universal. Generally in common English usage 'tea' refers to any beverage that is a botanica
by andjd 4y ago
This is a restrictive definition of the word 'tea' that is far from universal. Generally in common English usage 'tea' refers to any beverage that is a botanical infusion or plant used to make it. Saying this isn't tea is like saying that you can't call soy milk "milk" because it doesn't come from a cow.
It's good to question who benefits from this kind of insistence that other teas are not 'tea.'
- supertofu 4y agoTrue tea from the camellia sinensis plant contains caffeine. Immediately knowing whether your plant brew contains caffeine or not is one very useful benefit of using language carefully (tea vs tisane). Although yaupon contains caffeine, so would be better described as a caffeinated tisane. A simple reason to protect the word "tea" is that there is is an enormous variety, market, and culture of true tea cultivation, preparation, and consumption that just does not work with tisanes. Using tisane interchangeably with tea does a disservice to the enormous culture behind camellia sinensis. I don't see anything wrong with being precise with language.
- cercatrova 4y ago> Saying this isn't tea is like saying that you can't call soy milk "milk" because it doesn't come from a cow. Correct, soy and other plant based "milks" are not milk, a dairy beverage. There is nothing wrong with their taste or flavor, they're just not milks. So too with tea which similarly only refers to the camellia sinensis plant. There is nothing wrong with tisanes, but they are not tea.