Different Types of Tea
Tea is the product of the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of the Camellia sinenis plant, prepared by different methods. There are over 3000 different types of tea, however tea can be categorized in 4 main tea types. The 4 main categories are: black tea, green tea, oolong tea and white tea.
Black Tea – Wilted, sometimes crushed, and fully oxidized
Is the most commonly consumed tea in the world. Mostly brewed by tea bag in America, and traditionally served in the United Kingdom as "afternoon tea". . It has a broad range of flavors and is made by fully fermenting the harvested leaves before the heating or drying processes occur. This oxidation imparts a dark coloring and triples the caffeine.
Green Tea – Unwilted and unoxidized
Grown and mainly consumed in both China and Japan, it consists of hundreds of varieties. Green tea does not oxidize and it’s just whitered and dried. It has amore delicate taste and is pale green in color. Scientific studies have shown that both green and black teas prevent cavities and gum disease, and increase the body’s antioxidant activity. Green tea has been at the center of many recent studies suggesting that regular green tea drinkers have a lower chance of developing certain types of cancer and lower chance of heart disease.
Oolong Tea – Wilted, bruised, and partially oxidized
Oolong tea is oxidized somewhere between that of a green tea and a black tea. There are various styles of oolong tea; some are only slightly oxidized, while others are heavily oxidized.
White Tea – Wilted and unoxidized
It’s the least processed tea and probably the most powerful of all the types of tea. White tea consists of the whitish buds of the tea plant and lower quality varieties contain some leaves as well. This tea also offers more powerful antioxidant properties than any other tea types.
Due to the variety it is often more convenient to buy tea online because it is difficult for physical stores to stock as many varieties.
