Types of Tea

Tea (the beverage) comes from the evergreen species Camellia Sinensis, also known as a tea tree or bush. There are many varieties within the species Camellia Sinensis. It's the most widely consumed beverage in the world aside from water. Any beverage or plant made from a different species should be called herbal tea to distinguish it from true Camellia Sinensis tea.

There are two main varieties of tea: the small leaf sinensis sinensis, and the large leaf sinensis assamica (assam).

• China is the original home of tea, and produces the largest variety of teas.
• Taiwan (formerly Formosa) is known for its fine oolongs.
• Japan is known for its fine, strong green teas, and the powdered matcha used in tea ceremonies.
• India produces Assam and Darjeeling black teas.
• Ceylon (currently Sri Lanka) has some fine teas, but most goes into blends. A pure Ceylon tea is usually distinguished by its orange pekoe grading system, with terms like flowery OP, and OP superior, although the grading system is not unique to Ceylon.
• Africa now produces one-third of the world's tea. It's used primarily in blends.

There are several classification systems for tea. One of the reasons for the different systems is that the color depends on whether you're looking at dry leaves, wet leaves, or the resulting tea liquor. Traditionally, tea was classified by the color of the wet leaves after infusion. Modern Chinese classification is based more on the color of the resulting tea liquor. Other systems are based on the oxidation level of the tea, or include other factors. Many variations of the basic systems have been devised because none is truly representative of the variety in tea.

Here's some of the different systems

The Ming dynasty (14-17th C) established a system based on the color of wet leaves after infusion.
The ancient Chinese Ming system used Black for teas that were post processed. These were especially suited to survive the long journey of exporting, which took as long as two years. This might explain the preference for fully oxidized tea in the rest of the world, and also sheds light on the use of the term Black outside of China for any fully oxidized tea.

• White (Named for the white hairs on the tea leaves)
• Yellow (Referred to tea from a particular area grown specifically for the emperor, but also applied to any tea grown specifically for the emperor.)
• Green (Unprocessed)
• Blue-Green (Oolong)
• Red (fully processed, Black in Ukers)
• Black (Post-fermented)

The popular 20th Century Ukers system is based on the book "All About Tea" by William H Ukers, 1935. This essentially categorizes tea by its oxidation, where Green is unoxidized, Black is fully oxidized, and Oolong is everything in between. It adds minor categories of scented and brick tea.

• Green
• Oolong
• Black (Red in Ming)
• Scented
• Bricked

This is roughly the same as the Ming system, with minor changes and additions.

• White
• Yellow (Today, Yellow tea includes teas from other regions, such as Korea)
• Blue-Green
• Red
• Green
• Hei Cha (post fermented, Black in Ming)
• Minor varieties:
  • Scented
  • Compressed (often Hei Cha)

• Green Not oxidized
• Yellow Not oxidized
• White 8% or more oxidation
• Oolong 20-80% oxidation
• Black complete oxidation
• Pu-erh fermented, not always oxidized

There's a variety of other post-Ukers international systems, but none is/was really generally accepted. One version uses Red to refer to rooibos.

Here's a rough summary of what the different colors mean, but keep in mind that usage varies and some teas are not so easy to classify.

• Green tea is quickly dried after picking to preserve the flavor, scent, and nutrients, and prevent oxidation.
• Yellow tea is lightly steamed, covered, and allowed to rest over a few days which removes some of the green, mellows the flavors, and enhances the aroma. True yellow tea is produced only in Sichuan, Hunan, and Anhui provinces in China. There are several other things called yellow tea: Korea makes an unrelated yellow tea, other areas produce a tea using similar techniques, and any tea paid in tribute to the emperor was known as yellow tea, some of which still use the term today.
• White tea is picked before the buds open and dried quickly to preserve the nutrients and flavors of the young buds. The white color comes from the silver hairs that are still present on young buds, and also because the infused liquid is more or less colorless. It's particularly rich in antioxidants.
• Oolong or Wulong [Blue-Green] is allowed to partially oxidize, so it falls somewhere between green and black
• Black or Red [Red] tea is allowed to oxidize which produces a rich, deep, complex flavor.
• Pu-erh [Black] tea comes from old, wild broad leaf trees of the assamica variety, grown in and around southwest China. It has unique chemical properties making it especially mellow and suitable for aging. It's often compressed into cakes or bricks.
  • Raw (sheng, shengcha, qingcha) tea is similar to green tea in that it's unprocessed.
  • Ripe (shu, shucha, aka cooked) tea is carefully aged in controlled warm and humid conditions to promote bacterial and fungal fermentation. The taste of these teas varies with factory because local bacterial and fungal cultures vary.

Spring 2010 Formosa Ruby Black Tea, Taiwan Tea #18, from jas-etea.com. Note the different colors, black for the dry leaves, reddish brown for the wet leaves, and orange for the liquor.



Spring 2010 Bao Zhong Select Premium, from jas-etea. This is a lighty oxidized, almost green, oolong from Taiwan. Note the dark green & brown shade of the dry leaf, the rich greens of the wet leaves, and subtle greenish-yellow tint of the resulting almost clear liquor.



Further information

• Red and black tea are not the same, right?
• From least to most processed/oxidized, core tea types include White, Green, Oolong, Black & Pu-erh...
• Green (and other types of) Tea

Scented and flavored teas are are produced using flowers, fruits, and spices. A few of the more popular types are:

• Earl Grey is red tea blend with the citrus fruit bergamot, and sometimes cornflower or other flower petals
• Jasmine Tea is made from a slightly oxidized tea heated together with jasmine blossoms to allow the tea to absorb the scent. Several sessions are required to properly scent the tea. The best jasmine teas are processed specifically for jasmine tea in early spring, and allowed to rest until the blossoms bloom over the summer. Lesser quality jasmine teas are made with normal green or white teas, may use extracts instead of fresh blossoms, or apply other shortcuts.
• Lapsang Souchong (Lit. pine wood, large leaf black tea) is black tea smoked with wood.

Matcha is finely ground Japanese tea. It is brought to a froth using a bamboo whisk, and is the traditional tea drunk in Japanese tea ceremonies. It is typically made only of the highest quality, shade grown tea.

• How to make an incredible cup of Matcha

Genmaicha (aka. popcorn tea) is sencha roasted together with rice.

Flowering (blooming) tea is a bundle of tea and flowers that blossoms in hot water just like a flower.

Kombucha Tea

Instant Tea

Iced tea

Bubble Tea

Rooibos (red bush, sometimes aka red tea) is a legume grown in South Africa. It's high in antioxidants, and caffeine free.

Chai is the Indian word for tea, but it has become synonymous with masala chai, a spiced, sweetened Indian tea.

Yerba Mate is a holly native to South America. The taste is similar to some green teas. It contains antioxidants and has twice the caffeine of green tea.

Tea FAQ

Puerh