Chinese tea green, oolong, black and post-fermented. Others add categories for scented and compressed teas. All of these come from varieties of the "Camellia sinensis" plant. Most Chinese teas are cultivated and consumed in China, however are also exported internationally due to a rise in the popularity of Chinese cuisine worldwide. It is commonly available in Chinese Restaurants and grocery shops worldwide. Green tea is the most popular type of tea consumed in China. Within these main categories of tea are vast varieties of individual beverages. Some researchers have counted more than 700 of these beverages. Others put the number at more
Indian tea culture tribe, inhabitants of the regions where the "Camellia sinensis" plant grew native, have been consuming tea since the 12th century. It is also possible that tea may have been used under another name. Frederick R. Dannaway, in the essay “Tea As Soma”, argues that tea was perhaps better known as “Soma” in Indian mythology. The tea plant is native to East Asia and the Indian subcontinent, but the origins and history of tea are not precise. Many of the origin myths for tea are found in Chinese mythology, and the first verifiable records for tea consumption also point towards China.