Tea comes from the plant Camellia sinensis – a warm-weather evergreen.
Tea is grown around the world in thousands of estates or tea gardens, resulting in thousands of flavorful variations. Like wines, many teas take their names from the district in which they are grown, and each district is known for producing teas with unique flavor and character.
While there are more than 1500 varieties of tea available worldwide, all teas can be divided into three basic types: black, green and oolong.
The way the fresh tea leaves are processed and their level of contact with oxygen determine the types of tea. During oxidation, the tea leaves experience natural chemical reactions that result in distinctive taste and colour characteristics.
Herbal teas do not come from Camellia sinensis, but are an infusion of leaves, roots, bark, seeds or flowers of other plants.
There are four basic types of tea as described below. Find out which tea is for you by using our handy tea comparison chart.
Black tea is made from tea leaves that are fully oxidized and fermented during processing. This produces a hearty deep rich flavour in a coloured amber brew. Popular black teas include: Assam, Ceylon, Darjeeling, Earl Grey, Keemun, Lapsang Souchong, Sikkim, Yunnan, and popular blends such as English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast and Russian Caravan.
Green teas have undergone less processing than black teas. Green tea is not oxidized. Instead it is withered, immediately steamed or heated to prevent oxidation and then rolled and dried. It has a delicate taste, light green colour and is very refreshing.
The health benefits of green tea are seemingly endless. Since the leaves are not fermented, the taste is pleasantly fresh and herbal. Varieties of green tea include: Gunpowder, Dragon Well, Jasmine, Sencha Dancha, Hojicha, Genmaicha, Gyokuro, Spider Leg, Mattcha and Tencha.
The name oolong literally translates as “Black Dragon” and is very popular in China. Oolong teas undergo only a small amount of fermentation during processing. They feature partly oxidized leaves and combine the taste and colour qualities of black and green tea. Extremely flavourful and highly aromatic, oolong teas are consumed without milk and sugar. Varieties of oolong tea include: Formosa Oolong, Ti Kuan Yin, Pu-erh, Formosa Pouchong, and Black Dragon.
Just like other teas, white tea come from the Camellia sinensis plant. But the leaves are picked and harvested before the leaf buds open and while the buds are still covered by fine white hair. Hence the name. The leaf buds are withered and then dried slowly at low temperatures. Unlike other tea processing methods, the leaf buds are not rolled and slightly oxidized. The result is a tea with a mild flavour and natural sweetness. White tea is scarcer than the other traditional teas and is also quite a bit more expensive.