In recent years, South Africa has been on the radar with the rising popularity of Rooibos. Delightful as it is, Rooibos is not a traditional tea. It's not made from the Camilla Senensis plant. Another plant makes for a great tea, and this one is cultivated in South America: Yerba Mate.

Produced from the Ilex Paraguariensis tree, part of the holly family, it makes a fine herbal tea. Grown in Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil it is a South American wonder. Each country has its own distinctive style of Yerba Mate tea. In Brazil, the leaves are toasted, yielding a stronger taste. In Argentina, the cocido is a fine breakfast tea.

Like other herbal teas, it has many of the great health benefits of a traditional leaf. It provides a relaxing drink while aiding digestion. And it still has many of the antioxidants that are helpful in warding of cancers.

Even in bag or loose leaf form it still makes for a great brew. It can be a very fine, almost powdery substance, though. The leaves are dried, then crumbled into a very fine brown-leaf tea mixture. So, if you don't care for bits of herb in the liquid, filter well. The tea can even be prepared in a French press.

It's easy to obtain in bag form, but for a more traditional South American brew there's an alternative preparation method. Instead of a teapot, a gourd and a bombilla is used. The gourd (called a mate) is used in place of a cup, and the bombilla is a metal straw that gives the smooth herbal a nice little tang.

Fill the gourd 3/4 full of herb, then pour cold water over them until they're wetted but not drowned. Let them soak for a few minutes. While you wait, heat a cup of water to about 82°C/180°F, then add enough water to fill the gourd. Steep for a few minutes. Then insert the bombilla filter end down into the liquid and sip. Arriba!

In the traditional social setting, one person typically takes the role of preparer and server and has the first sip. Then the gourd and straw is passed from one person to the next. And you thought only the Japanese had tea rituals!

That oxidation process, often called fermentation, is what produces the distinctive color and taste of other teas. Though the word is the same, 'fermentation' in tea circles does not mean the same as when it's used in relation to wine. No sugars are altered to produce alcohol.

Instead of oxidation, the buds are dried by steaming, then air dried. No rolling or crushing occurs. This leaves the enzymes in the leaves intact, unexposed to air. Water evaporates more slowly and up to 40% of the original weight is lost. Then the leaves are slow-roasted to remove about 95% of their moisture content.

The result is a tea with very little caffeine and a very light color and delicate taste. The final product has a very fresh taste, somewhat like real leaves or grass, that is preferred by some tea aficionados. Leaves gathered in the early spring provide a clean cup with a fragrance that has a hint of outdoors.

A type called Silver Needle that hails from the Fujian province in China is an especial treat. The Darjeeling province in India makes a fine white tea as well. And there is a variety called Ceylon White that hails from Sri Lanka.

But there's more to white tea than just good taste.

Though still an area of active research, there are studies that suggest white tea is even healthier than the already great green tea. Green tea stimulates the immune system to fight infection and according to a recent study at the Pace University, that property may be even more pronounced in white tea. It has an anti-viral and anti-bacterial effect.

With its lower caffeine content (15 mg per serving, compared to 40 mg for black tea, and 20 mg for green tea) white teas will be a great addition to the 'decaf' section of your tea tin.

For the lover of strong brew, there is the Assam black from India - a malty cup that can really wake you up in the morning. The Keemun black from the interior of China is a great alternative for those cold, rainy days of Fall.

There are the smooth Ceylon blacks from Sri Lanka, that make a wonderfully relaxing drink at the end of a hard day. Ceylon is a former name for that country. Or one might try the renowned Darjeeling muscatel from high in the Himalayas.

But many prefer the gentler green teas from throughout Asia. The Japanese generously provide a platter full of options. The Kukicha is a mix of leaves and twigs, just the thing to spice up an otherwise bland drink. China offers a Mandarin with hints of apricot that does that noble country proud.

From the Fujian province in China comes the Pi Lo Chun that no sensible tea lover will pass up the opportunity to test. The White Monkey should be sampled, if for no other reason than to try to guess what the name has to do with this delicious green.

Africa, Kenya in particular, is now one of the largest exporters of black tea in the world. But size doesn't always characterize the country best. The red Rooibos of South Africa is simply delicious. And taste is the final arbiter anywhere.

The Rooibos makes for an excellent drink plain or combined with a broad palette of additives. Vanilla, mango, berry even the perfumey Earl Grey are superb variations on an already first-rate brew.

But, oh, those Oolongs. Formosa Oolong may be the most well known and certainly ranks among the finest, but there are others equally worth tasting. A Wu Yi from coastal China is a must. The Jasmine, with an aroma that brings memories of spring to the mind and delight to the soul, is mandatory.

Darjeeling, India produces an Oolong that does credit to one of the world's oldest and largest producers of fine tea. After all, not everything Asian is Oriental. Heavy domestic demand has limited the supply and therefore raised prices. But a tea this good is worth a little more.

A teapot is central to the set and you will find yourself simultaneously frustrated and delighted at the options. You could consume a week just cataloging all the different choices.

Everything from chrome and plastic to ceramic to clay to glass is available and each has its pros and cons. There are teapots with in-built timers and thermometers, detachable base plates and handles… the list is endless.

Some look very much like ordinary traditional coffee pots. But even those have all sorts of extra, modern conveniences like a detachable pot from the heating base for example. Very handy for preparation and pouring.

Others have the look of a much older tradition - the look of ancient China. Yixing clay teapots, of the sort that have been made by fine craftsmen in China for centuries, are both functional and beautiful. Today they have the added advantage of being prepared in modern clay ovens with extraordinary quality control. They represent the best of art and technology combined.

Traditional porcelain teapots from Japan are both works of art and utilitarian objects. Strong, yet with delicate designs, these shining white and blue containers look great and function perfectly even in the most modern of kitchens.

Many American designs now emulate the best of Scandinavia, where tea drinking is an art done with the practical sense of the Danes or Finns. One elegant glass design has an oversized cup with a plate that sits on top and holds a strainer. The assembly on top makes it easy to prepare the tea to perfection, then lift off the upper components and carry the cup to your favorite easy chair for drinking.

The range of artistic styles, beyond the merely functional, would fill a museum. Along with the teapot, the tea devotee will find an equally abundant array of choices for other teaware.

Strainers or infusers, which are used to strain hot water through tea leaves, are essential for those who want to expand their choices beyond tea bags. These come in a variety of materials and designs. Pyrex, copper or aluminum, ceramic and other materials are used. Large mesh, fine mesh and everything in between are useful since you may want to use large leaves or even fine tea powder.

A tea caddy is helpful for those who like to buy in quantity or have on hand different types of tea. That would be everyone, wouldn't it? They come in a large range of sizes and designs. Some hold only one type, some have compartments for holding bags, leaves or powder in different chambers.

Like coffee and other organic products, tea can degrade and go stale. Oxygen-filled air and airborne compounds can destroy a fine tea leaf, or infuse it with unpleasant odors and tastes. Fortunately, there is a world of tea tins and tea chests that can prevent those problems. A fine container, also known as a tea caddy, will keep your tea fresh and add a decorative element to the kitchen.

Tea tins and chests come in all sizes, shapes and designs. Few are made of tin anymore, despite the name. But if plastic is not your preferred material there are rust-proof metal tins that can seal airtight and keep your stash fresh as the day you bought it.

Porcelain, glass, plastic, wood and entirely new kinds of materials are being used for tins today. You can enjoy the fine traditional look of a Japanese porcelain or the latest Swedish composite that could seal a modern mummy.

Some are just round, rectangular or octagonal containers in which you dump loose leaf or bags. But others have compartments that help keep your teas separated and organized. You'll want to keep loose leaf teas in either separate tins or find a tin that has individually sealing compartments. The latter type has smaller cubical areas that enclose individually or close off each one separately when you shut the lid.

Tea chests often allow for holding dozens of individual sachets or bags. Here again, the design you get will be dictated by the type of tea, tea bag and decorative element desired. Individual sachets are air-permeable, so it's important to get a chest that can seal each compartment. If you buy sealed bags, then the design options are wider.

Chests can hold from as small as a dozen to over a hundred and many make for fine furniture. Teak, and other fine woods are often used and the display is equivalent to a fine cigar holder. Some have cherry finishes, others ebony, others still another color. Some with glass tops are available, but exercise caution. Glass transmits heat much better than fine woods, so you'll need to keep the tin somewhere out of the sunlight. Also, UV can degrade both fine mesh bags and the tea leaves themselves, so the interior should be kept dark.

In either style, tin or chest, fine teas can be kept fresh up to a year, depending on how often they're opened and how the tea itself is stored. Small, flexible metal or plasticized paper can seal extremely well. Sachets and other fine cloth mesh will allow exposure to air. But the latter are often used for the finest teas and are intended to be consumed fairly quickly.

From China come several of the teas that grace tables around the globe, both green and black.

The green tea of China is grown at high elevations, from 2,500-4,500 feet (762m-1372m) above sea level. Climatic conditions provide for excellent growing conditions, though the labor intensive nature of tea growing makes them difficult to care for there. There are some varieties that are ready for harvesting for only a few weeks out of the year, making them all the more difficult to process.

Dragon Well is a delicious green tea that comes from China. Its flat, shiny leaves that hint of chestnuts have been enjoyed by the Chinese for centuries. Another popular green tea from China is the Jasmine Balls variety. Rolled into a ball by tea workers, the long leaves are prepared by surrounding them with Jasmine flowers.

Keemun tea, which has been consumed in Great Britain for 150 years, also has its origins in China. As a black tea, it's actually more popular in Europe than its home country.

Most of the green tea shipped around the planet also originates in China, Japan and Taiwan.

Japan's production is among the highest of any country, thanks to yields of 1,500 pounds per acre of this fine plant. Much of that comes from the Shizuoka region, south of Tokyo. The country consumes 98% of the home grown product, though, so it often seems as if they are one of the minor producers.

One of the most popular green teas in Japan is a variety known as Sencha. Served throughout the country, tea lovers will find it in any restaurant or store. Gyokuro is another very common tea in Japan, one with a caffeine content that is unusually high.

Matcha green tea is a type traditionally reserved for Japanese tea ceremonies, but now finds its way into many everyday circumstances where tea is consumed.

Hojicha, a kind of roasted tea, is also popular in Japan and has the advantage of having very little caffeine. Perfect for those who love tea, but are sensitive to the stimulant.

But by all accounts, India is and remains the world's most important tea producer. Demand, both internally and throughout the world, is so high that even this giant of tea production can't satisfy it all.

For the first time in years there are appearing shortages of Indian teas. The supply has become so tight that India now imports tea from Kenya, Indonesia and Vietnam to blend with native grown product. Kenya is among the world's largest exporters of black tea leaf.

India has dozens of different teas. There is the world-famous Darjeeling, of course. But there is also the Assam black, the Puttabong green and the Iyerpadi Estate black, popular for over a hundred years.

Naturally, there are many others one could mention. Rooibos from South Africa is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. and elsewhere. The Formosa Oolong from Taiwan has been on tables around the world for decades, if not centuries. The delightful teas of Ceylon have had a following for two hundred years.

Tea contains a type of polyphenol compound called catechins. Many teas undergo oxidation of catechins, producing theaflavins. Which, and how much, of each type of compound varies between types of tea.

White teas undergo the least processing, typically being protected from oxidation. The buds are harvested young and they don't go through the drying process that causes other teas to darken. That leaves all the original catechins intact. Green teas undergo slight oxidation and black teas get the most. But each type still has heart health benefits, despite the differing concentrations and forms of polyphenols.

In one six year Dutch study of almost 5,000 men and women, those who drank a little more than a cup and a half per day had a risk of heart attack only two-thirds that of non-tea drinkers. A Japanese study followed over 8,500 men and women for 12 years. It found those who drank at least four cups of green tea per day had about half the risk of coronary disease of non-tea drinkers.

Tea is known to help reduce the formation of the harmful form of cholesterol, LDL. The flavonoids in tea prevent it from oxidizing. That adds to the beneficial effects by decreasing the risk of hardening of the arteries.

It isn't only green tea which has heart health benefits, though.

Heart attack and blood pressure are closely related. Higher blood pressure increases the risk of heart attack, as well as contributing to other health problems.

Black tea consumption helps reduce blood pressure by reducing the risk of atherosclerosis, which interferes with the ability of blood vessels to relax. Blood pressure measurements in one study were lower among tea drinkers. The risk of hypertension (high blood pressure) were cut in half by consuming just one cup per day. For those who consumed three cups per day, the risk was lowered by two-thirds.

Myocardial infarction is one common form of heart attack. A Harvard study done ten years ago found that a single cup of black tea per day lowered Myocardial infarction risk by 44%, compared to non-tea drinkers.

One study suggests that the mechanism may be, in part, the result of tea's ability to reduce clotting. Participants in the study who drank black tea had lower levels of a blood protein associated with coagulation.

Tea drinking can help those who do suffer a heart attack increase their chances of surviving, according to more than one study. A Boston study of 1,900 people who had heart attacks related their recovery to tea consumption. The more tea they drank, the lower the death rate, 28% lower for those who had at least two cups per week.

Lung, prostate, breast, bladder and other cancers have all been the subject of intense research over the past 50 years. All of them have been favorably influenced by compounds commonly found in tea.

One of the most promising of recent finds is the identification of an antioxidant called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate).

Antioxidants have long been believed to help hinder or slow the growth of cancer cells and tumors. U.S. National Cancer Institute studies have shown that catechins, a component of tea, inactivate oxidants, reducing the number and size of tumors.

EGCG may be one of the reasons.

Patients in a recent Japanese study at Kyushu University drank two to three cups of green tea per day, rich in EGCG. The researchers found that human lung cancer cells grew more slowly when they did. In test tube studies, EGCG inhibited an enzyme that cancer cells require in order to grow and divide.

A Spanish/British co-study reinforces the idea. Researchers at the University of Murcia and the John Innes Center in England found that EGCG in green tea prevented cancer cells from growing large enough to divide. The mechanism is believed to be the result of EGCG's ability to bind to the specific enzyme (dihydrofolate reductase) needed.

USC (University of Southern California) researchers studying breast cancer found similar results. Green tea drinkers had a lower incidence of tumors, even adjusting for other factors such as family history, exercise and diet. Here, one important factor appears to be the ability of certain compounds in tea to inhibit the growth of blood vessels.

Cancer cells, just like any other, need nutrients from blood in order to grow. They stimulate the growth of blood vessels in order to supply themselves. Tea inhibits that ability, according to a joint study by the University of California and the University of Texas.

Other studies show that drinking five cups per day can help boost the immune system, providing the body with an ability to combat emerging cancer cells. Alkylamine antigens are thought to be responsible. Ingesting them by drinking tea produces a more vigorous response against tumors.

Another study examined bladder cancer. An extract made from green tea altered the actions of actin, a structural protein needed by cancer cells to function. A process called 'remodeling' allows cancer cells to invade nearby healthy tissue. A compound made from green tea modified the cancer cell's ability to carry out this process.

While the specific mechanisms are still a matter of ongoing research, a cluster of studies all point to tea's ability to assist in preventing cancers. There are no known downsides to consuming a few cups per day, either. It's a smart choice.

And Rooibos teas are certainly that. This shrubby bush with thin, needle-like leaves produces a brew that is light, sweet and delicious. The difference in color, which is indeed a light red, even adds to the experience. The color is a nice change from the green or dark brown of more traditional teas.

But then, tradition is different in different places. In South Africa, the home of the native Rooibos bush, the tea has been providing the populace with a wonderful brew for generations. When WWII restricted imports of Asian teas, those who supplied the millions wanting their afternoon cup went looking elsewhere.

They found it in the Cedarberg mountains where farmers harvest its low-volume seeds to produce a drink that has become popular worldwide. The tea is finely chopped, then left in the hot South African sun to dry.

The leaves are originally green, but turn red from this oxidation process, called 'fermentation'. In tea parlance fermentation bears no similarity to the word as used by wine producers. No sugars are fermented to make alcohol from the plant. The result is a leaf ready to make a delectable drink.

But Rooibos has more benefits than simply good taste. As if anything more were needed!

Rooibos is caffeine-free, yet retains the same anti-oxidant value that is found in green teas. That makes it heart-healthy and a value for those who drink tea for its cancer fighting properties and other health benefits. It's low in tannin, so you can have numerous cups without concern. Tannins lower the absorption of iron and other minerals.

Like other teas, there is some evidence that it has additional health-boosting abilities. Some studies suggest it helps the immune system, just like other teas. It also has been reported to aid in relieving stomach cramps. Since it has no oxalic acid, it can be drunk by those with a tendency to produce kidney stones.

You may find the product labeled Herbal Allergy tea, owing to its reputed ability to aid allergy sufferers. Or it may be labeled Red Bush and available in the section used to treat skin disorders, such as eczema.

Midway between a black and a green, Oolong originated in the Fujian Province near the end of the Ming Dynasty 400 years ago. It gradually migrated to Formosa (now Taiwan) and has been a staple product of that noble nation ever since. Though, the majority still comes from Wu Yi Shan mountain in China.

It is not only a delight to taste, when well prepared, but has a distinctive aroma owing to its moderate oxidation and careful processing. The floral scent and slightly astringent mouthfeel bears a similarity to a fine wine. And that is no accident.

Most of the processing is carried out by hand, beginning with the careful plucking by individual farm workers. Selecting an Oolong for harvesting is done as carefully as the picking of perfect grapes by vineyard workers.

Unlike most teas, running hot water through the Oolong leaves more than once can actually enhance the flavor. This rinses away any residual dust or other contaminants from processing. The second bath brings pure Oolong flavor into the cup. This special Taiwanese method of tea preparation has brought the Oolong to the pinnacle of a fine brew.

But more than just a delectable, relaxing drink Oolong also has many health benefits. Research strongly suggests that Oolong is good for several different body systems. The beneficial effects for the digestive system are well known and well documented.

But recent studies suggest that the volatile aromatic vapors from Oolong help dislodge toxic residues from the bronchia and air sacs of the lungs. They can then be expectorated (coughed up and spat out). This effect may help to explain why Chinese men, among the heavier smokers on the planet, tend to have fewer cases of lung cancer.

Oolong teas also contain plentiful amounts of the antioxidants polyphenol and catechins. These help gather free radicals from the blood stream, which are removed during urination. Free radicals are ionized molecules that, in concentration, destroy cell membranes and have other harmful effects.

Oolong comes in a hundred varieties, and nearly every one can be found at some Chinese restaurant or other. There is the Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe), the Shui Jin Gui (Water Turtle) and many other delightful kinds with equally evocative names. The Golden Buddha produces a light brew, while the Water Sprite is a dark tea. The Dong Ding from Nantou in central Taiwan is a favorite of those who favor Oolong.