You may have heard this term "tea cultivar" before and wondered, what does this actually mean?
A cultivar is a different variety of the same plant. For example, everyone knows that apples come in both green and red colors. Both of these would be apples, but the green apples might be a bit more tart and acidic, while the red apples are sweeter and softer. These variations make things more interesting, so apples themselves have subtle, unique differences.
These differences in plant traits extend to any cultivated food or herb: coffee, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, and even tea. In the world of tea, different cultivars have been raised for certain prized qualities. The famous Jin Xuan (金萱乌龙) "Milk Oolong" cultivar has a milky, buttery, floral aroma, whereas a cultivar like Hong Yu (紅玉) "Red Ruby" has a classic minty, herbal, fruity profile, with completely natural notes of cinnamon and dried mango. These two teas are both from the same plant family Camellia sinensis, however they differ wildly in terms of taste profile. Some tea cultivars have more subtle differences in minerality, body, fruity vs. floral tasting profile, or even leaf size. The picture attached to this blog post actually has images of the Red Ruby (big leaf) and the Milk Oolong (small leaf) so you can compare for yourself.
Cultivar (sometimes also called "varietal") is basically another aspect of tea that can influence the final result. So the next time you finish a cup of tea, pull out the tea leaves and get acquainted with a new cultivar of this beautiful plant.
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