Tea Varieties

1. Preparing Loose Tea
2. Tea Varieties
3. Tips from Teajo
4. Tea Health and Facts

All tea (black, green, oolong and white) comes from the same Camellia sinensis plant, a warm-weather evergreen. How the fresh leaves of the tea plant are processed and their level of contact with oxygen determine the resulting varieties of tea. More oxygen produces dark colored leaves, such as black tea. Less oxygen results in green tea, and unprocessed leaves are classified as white tea.

Herbal teas, on the other hand, are not technically a tea since they do not come from Camellia sinensis and are actually an infusion of leaves, roots, bark, seeds or flowers of other plants.

Tea is traditionally classified based on producing technique:

Black Tea (Wilted, crushed and fully oxidized):

Black tea leaves go through a longer oxidation process than any of the other tea varieties. Black tea is currently the most popular in the U.S. in terms of consumption and is generally stronger than other teas but still contains less caffeine than coffee. The largest producers of Black tea are India, Sri Lanka and China.

Green Tea (Wilted and un-oxidized):

Unlike Black tea, Green tea leaves undergo minimal oxidation. Green tea is primarily produced in China and Japan, and to a much lesser extent, in India. In terms of caffeine, Green tea contains approximately one-third that which is found in coffee.

Oolong Tea (Wilted, bruised and partially oxidized):

Oolong tea is partially oxidized and falls somewhere in between Green and Black teas. The two main growing regions for Oolong tea are China and Taiwan.

White Tea (Unwilted and un-oxidized):

White tea is the most subtle of all teas, is produced on a very limited scale and is the least processed of all teas. Producing white tea is also very labor intensive, as the leaves are picked and harvested before the leaves open fully, resulting in a higher price as well. Most of the White tea comes from China and Japan, but India has several regions that produce White tea as well.

Herbal Teas

Herbal teas are not technically a “tea” and are usually an infusion of dried flowers, fruits or herbs. Naturally caffeine free, Herbal teas have been long consumed for their medicinal benefits. One of the more increasingly popular Herbal teas is African Rooibos, which originates from a bush grown in South Africa and has a naturally sweet and slightly nutty flavor.