'Tearoma®' is a tea variety bred in Switzerland for its good hardiness and ability to be grown outdoors all year round in our climate. It is still a new phenomenon that you can grow tea in Sweden, not all tea varieties can cope but the ones with the best hardiness on the market today are this variety and the Dutch-bred variety 'Tea by Me' .

Common names: Tea, Tea bush, Tea tree, Tea plant
Scientific name: Camellia sinensis
Family: Theaceae

Plant history & use:

Tea is consumed all over the world and is the second most common drink after water. The tea bush contains theine, which counteracts fatigue, and theanine, which has a calming effect, unlike coffee, which only has the stimulating properties of caffeine (=theine). A cup of tea can therefore be invigorating and calming at the same time.

It is mainly the leaf buds and leaves that are picked to brew tea, but sometimes the flowers are also used.

From the tea bush Camellia sinensis, you can make different types of tea: white, yellow, green, blue (oolong), black and “dark” tea. The difference between them is made up of different fermentation and oxidation processes. White tea is not even allowed to oxidize, while “dark” tea is allowed to both oxidize and ferment for long periods. The types in between are gradually more or less in one direction or the other, in the order listed above. All types have their health benefits, sometimes different.

Red tea (rooibos) comes from a different plant species, the Rooibos bush. Aspalathus linearis .

Tea leaves are also used in cooking in Asia - for example, Tea Leaf Salad (fermented leaves) in Burma and (fresh leaves) in Thailand.

Culture:

Tea has recently started to be grown in Sweden and there is a successful tea plantation on Gotland that grows for commercial use. The tea bush grows in its natural environment at high altitudes where it gets colder at night, and where it can also be cold during the day. The tea bush can be overwintered outdoors in Sweden, depending on the location and circumstances, the plants may need to be covered for the winter (e.g. with straw).

Protect from cold winds with some windbreak, such as non-woven fabric attached to posts around the plant, and cover with straw or similar during the winter months.

Tea thrives in acidic soil, use Rhododendron soil when repotting the plant for the first time.

Features:

Year: Perennial
Growing position: sun/partial shade
Height: 1-2 meters
Growing zone: 1-4