Types of Tea

There are thousands of different teas in the world, but as you may know, they all come from the same plant: Camellia Sinensis, an evergreen tree related to the Magnolia. It can grow to 30 feet high in the wild, though on tea plantations constant pruning keeps the plant to a shrub of around 3 feet tall, encouraging growth and making the leaves easier to pluck. The main difference between types of tea is the result of how the tea leaves are processed. Once tea is plucked, it naturally begins to oxidize or ferment. The oxidation process is stopped by heating or steaming the tea leaves and it’s the degree of oxidation (or complete lack of it) which produces the four main different types of tea.

Black Tea
Black teas are allowed to oxidize completely, giving them their dark color. They tend to have a strong flavor and contain the most caffeine. Black tea forms the vast majority of tea consumed in Western countries. It keeps its flavor for longer than other types of tea, which is why it has been a traded commodity for hundreds of years.

Oolong Tea
Oolong tea is not fermented for as long as black tea, 15%-70% oxidation is normal. According to the exact length of fermentation, Oolong teas have a range of different qualities. During processing, the leaves can either be rolled, or pressed into balls and the tea is sometimes roasted to improve its flavor. Like pu-erh tea, some oolong teas benefit from aging. They can be light or dark in color and have a rich taste, normally more like green than black tea.

Green Tea
Green tea undergoes no fermentation. After the leaves are harvested, they are steamed to deactivate the enzymes that cause oxidation, and then dried. Light green or yellowish in color, green tea has a fresh, fragrant and sometimes slightly grassy taste. Some varieties even taste slightly sweet. When brewing green tea, boiling water should never be used and the tea should not be steeped for too long, as this can make it bitter.

White Tea
White tea is the least processed type of tea. Similar to green tea, it is not oxidized or fermented. It is made only from young leaves and immature buds, and is thought to contain more nutrients than black, oolong or green teas. Its name comes the silver-white hairs on the immature buds. White tea has a light and delicate flavor, lacking the slight grassiness of some green teas.