Decaffeination this trait could be bred into other coffee plants by crossing them with "C. charrieriana", or an equivalent effect could be achieved by knocking out the gene for caffeine synthase in normal coffee plants. Tea may also be decaffeinated, usually by using processes analogous to the direct method or the CO process, as described above. The process of oxidizing tea leaves to create black tea ("red" in Chinese tea culture) or oolong tea leaves from green leaves does not affect the amount of caffeine in the tea, though tea-plant subspecies (i.e., "Camellia sinensis sinensis" vs. "Camellia sinensis assamica") may differ
Argentine tea culture Argentine tea culture Argentine tea culture is influenced by local and imported varieties and customs. The country is a major producer of tea ("Camellia sinensis"), but is best known for the cultivation and consumption of mate, made with the leaves of the local yerba mate plant. When Jesuit missionaries first came to Argentina, they tried to ban the popular indigenous tea, "yerba maté", out of concern about its addictive qualities. They ultimately reversed their stance and began cultivating "yerba maté" on plantations in the Misiones province in particular (and elsewhere in South America), until the expulsion of the religious order