Tea leaves
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Description
A natural brown dye obtained from the leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis and Thea sinensis). Tea leaves are rich in tannins, which allow the pigment to bind to natural fibers like cotton, linen, silk, and wool without needing a mordant. A hot water extract of the leaves produces a dark brown liquid that dyes wool a light brown to rose brown color. Tea solutions have also been used to 'antique' or artificially age the appearance of fabrics (clothing), paper and parchment.
- See also [Uemera Dye Archive]: Bancha (Tea)
Synonyms and Related Terms
Camellia sinensis; Thea sinensis; te (Dan., Nor., Sven.); Tee (Deut.); hojas de té (Esp.); thé (Fr.); tè (It.); thee (Ned.); herbata (Pol.); folhas de chá (Port.); tea dust; tea bags
Resources and Citations
- G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971
- Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "tea" [Accessed 28 Sept. 2005].
- Wikipedia: Tea (Accessed Sept. 28, 2005 and March 2025)
- Wikipedia: Cemellia sinensis Accessed May 2026
- Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976
- Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998