Tea is the name given to the beverage made from the leaves of the tea bush. The term is also used for drinks made from an infusion of other leaves, such as chamomile tea; and, of course, the term is also used for the afternoon meal at which tea is served. The word for tea in most of mainland China (and also in Japan) is 'cha'. (Hence its frequency in names of Japanese teas: Sencha, Hojicha, etc.) But the word for tea in Fujian province is 'te' (pronounced approximately 'tay'). As luck would have it, the first mass marketers of tea in the West were the Dutch, whose contacts were in Fujian. They adopted this name, and handed it on to most other European countries. The two exceptions are Russia and Portugal, which had independent trade links to China. The Portuguese call it 'cha', the Russians 'chai'. Other areas (such as Turkey, South Asia and the Arab countries) have some version of 'chai' or 'shai'.

Botany
Chemistry
Timeline
Classifacation of Teas
Leaf Classification
Black Tea