On Sep 11, 10:37 pm, Alex > wrote:

> I am finding all this incredibly interesting, although much more from
> a hobby-growing perspective than out of commercial possibility. Nigel
> (or anyone else) - do you know what kind of winter temperatures tea
> can tolerate?
>
> Alex

All I know is that up in Darjeeling it can get pretty cold in January,
with temperatures down to ~--5°C [20F?]. The bushes seem to be OK with
it, even the old, "original" ones ["China" bushes], some of them more
than 100 years of age.
These days however you´ll find more and more clonal bushes in DJ and
elsewhere. Among other desirable features those clones could also be
selected by their resistance to cold climates or e.g. salty coastal
conditions.

Karsten