Which Tea Type Are You?
Every tea leaf in the world comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. Originally, it grew in the wild, but now it generally grows in tidy rows on tea plantations. The taste of the tea in your cup depends on what cultivar it is. A cultivar, short for cultivated variety, is “a plant that is propagated through human intervention to develop a desirable characteristic,” according to The Spruce website. There are many cultivars of teas and many variations within them, which affect their aroma, taste, and color. Although there are thousands of varieties of teas, there are only six types. Let’s take a look at them all and try to decide which is the one for us.
Black Tea
If you like your tea strong, this could be the one for you. Black tea is dark and intense because of the way it is harvested and the oxidation process it goes through. “The amount of oxygen the tea leaves are exposed to throughout this process is known as oxidation and determines the tea’s classification. Black tea gets withered, fully oxidized, and dried for a remarkably long time,” according to Types of Tea – The Six Types of Tea & Their Benefits on the Joe’s Garage website. Because growing regions vary, there is no one distinct flavor of black tea. Originally, it was produced in China, but now much of it comes from India, Kenya and Sri Lanka. Darjeeling, Assam, and Lapsang Souchong are some of the varieties of black tea. From them, blends like English Breakfast, Earl Grey, and Masala Chai can be made.
Green Tea
As you might expect, green tea is not oxidized. In fact, as soon as the leaves are picked, they are subjected to intense heat for a short period of time. This is called “firing,” and it prevents them from getting oxidized during processing. China and Japan are the main producers of green tea, and have markedly different methods of firing. In China, the leaves are pan-fried using dry heat. In Japan, they are steam-fried using wet heat. If you like a lighter tea, this could be the one for you. Bancha, Jasmine, and Matcha are some of the varieties of green tea.
White Tea
White tea is made from the young leaves of the tea shrub when they are not fully opened. They are still covered in fine white hairs at this stage, which is how white tea got its name. White tea is considered delicate because it is lightly processed through methodical drying with very little oxidation taking place. If you like your tea sweet, creamy, and light, white tea may be the one for you. Depending on where it is grown, it can also be bright and fruity. China is the chief producer of white tea, but there are also blends that come from Taiwan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Silver needle, white peony, and monkey picked are some of the varieties of white tea.
Oolong Tea
Oolong tea is only partially oxidized, but “oxidation levels in oolong can vary from eight percent to 80 percent, depending on the production style of the tea master,” according to the Teatulia website. Traditionally, oolong teas are rolled, twisted or curled into tight balls or thin strands, also depending on the tea master. The way in which the leaves are rolled affects the final flavor. Most oolong teas come from China and Taiwan, but India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Thailand and New Zealand have begun producing them as well. The color can range from green, to golden, to brown. If you like a variety of flavors from your tea, oolong may be the one for you as it can be sweet, woody, mellow, grassy, nutty, or fruity. Pheonix, Iron Goddess of Mercy, and Wuyi, are some of the varieties of oolong tea.
YellowTea
Unique to China, yellow tea is the rarest type. Unlike other teas, it is fermented before it is dried. The slow drying process is what makes the leaves yellow. It also increases the oxidation level and removes the grassy smell often associated with green tea. If you like mellow tea that is smooth and bright with a fruity and floral aroma, yellow tea may be the one for you. Jun Shan Yin Zhen, Meng Ding Huang Ya, and Huo Shan Shang Ya are the most common varieties of yellow tea.
Pu-erh Tea
Also unique to China, Pu-erh tea comes only from a southern region in Yunnan, where the growing conditions are ideal. “It’s one of the few teas to be designated a protected origin product by the Chinese government,” according to the article Why Tea Nerds Obsess Over Pu-erh, by Max Falkowitz on the serious eats website. Pu-erh tea is either raw or ripe, depending how long it is aged. The ripe variety is aged more quickly. The raw variety has a wider range of flavors, including grassy, bittersweet, floral, and earthy. Depending on your taste preferences, either variety may be the one for you.
