From the strength of black and Earl Grey teas to the soothing and light flavors of herbal and green teas, the little plants brewed in this millennia-old beverage have endless variety. However, the complexity and quality of their flavor could depend on something even smaller than the leaves themselves. A study published February 15 in the journal Current Biology found that the microbes at the tea’s roots may make high-quality tea even better.  Â
[Related: Kombucha’s health benefits may go beyond our guts.]
Of the roughly 15 billion pounds of tea that were consumed in 2022, close to one-third was grown in China. The country is believed to be tea’s birthplace, with the earliest credible record of tea drinking dating back to the Third Century CE, but it could be even older.Â
Some previous studies noted that the soil microbes living at the roots of plants affect the way that nutrients are absorbed and used by the plant to grow and flourish. However, improving the quality of tea leaves in the lab by genetically altering the plants is challenging and difficult to achieve in the lab. According to the team from this study, there is a vested interest in finding other ways to modify and enhance tea, potentially with microbial agents.
In this new study, a team in China wanted to learn more about how specifically root microbes will affect tea quality. They studied 17 different tea varieties and monitored how the microbes in the tea roots affected how well they take in ammonia. This ammonia intake then influenced how well an amino acid called theanine was produced. Theanine is key to determining the taste of tea.
The researchers also noticed variations in the microbes that were colonizing different teas. Comparing tea varieties with different amounts of theanine within its leaves helped them pinpoint the set of microbes that could boost theanine levels for better tea…
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