Tea is made from young leaves and buds of tea plant. Tea leaves are rich in caffiene (an alkaloid). Besides
caffiene, tea leaves contain tannic acid and coloring matter, such as polyphenolic compounds. The relative
amounts of these substances are different in different varieties of tea leaves, i.e. why, their taste and
flavour are different.

The brownish colour of tea is due to the presence of polyphenolic compoundes and some inorganic ions
like Mn2+, Fe3+ etc. Some simple experiments can be carried out to study the compomnrntds that are
responsible for the variation in tea flavor in various brands of tea