All tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, while herbal teas are made from dried flowers and herbs. There are four main types of tea: white, black, green, and oolong. White tea is the rarest and least processed, while black tea is the most popular but contains more caffeine. Herbal teas are not technically tea, but can be made from various flowers and herbs.
All non-herbal teas come from the Camellia sinensis plant species. Herbal teas are actually dried flowers and herbs and aren’t technically “tea.” Both tea and herbal teas can be prepared loose using a strainer or using convenient tea bags and enjoyed in delicious hot or iced drinks.
The three main varieties of camellia sinensis are: India (or Assam), China, a hybrid. Indian tea is broadleaf and grows well at lower elevations, while Chinese tea is smallleaf and grows well at higher elevations. The hybrids mix quantities of Chinese and Indian teas. Of these three varieties, there are four main types of tea: oolong, green, white, and black.
White tea is the rarest and least processed type. Its flavor can be very grassy at times. Processing usually involves oxidation or fermentation. Oxidation occurs when the enzymes in the plant are bruised, broken, or crushed so that the enzymes are exposed to air. White tea is not oxidized at all, but left to dry as it is. This air drying process is called appassimento.
White tea gets its name from its dry silver-colored buds with their white thread-like growths. It has the least amount of caffeine and the highest amount of antioxidants of the four major types of tea. Silver needle is a type of white tea with a delicately sweet taste.
Black tea is the most popular tea worldwide, but it doesn’t have as many antioxidants as other types and contains more caffeine. It is completely oxidized. Its leaves are rolled up to break up the surface so that more of it is open to the air. When the leaves are fully oxidized they turn completely black, hence the name. Keemun black tea is said to taste like chocolate. Darjeeling and Ceylon are other black varieties.
Green tea is closer to white tea than black tea in that it is not oxidized. It differs from white tea because it uses rolled leaves and not the buds. Its herbaceous taste is very similar to that of white tea and is low in caffeine and high in antioxidants compared to black tea. Jin Xian Te Jian and Hojicha are two different types of green tea.
Oolong is often considered the most difficult tea to process as oolong leaves are only partially oxidized. The leaves cannot be broken or crushed, as complete oxidation occurs, so they only need to be bruised. Bruising is usually achieved by tossing the leaves into the baskets so that only the edges of the leaves are open to the air. Oolongs can be more like black teas or more like green teas in their brewing. Pouchong and Formosa are two types of oolong tea.
Decaffeinated black teas are popular in Western cultures. The United States has approved both the use of carbon dioxide and ethyl acetate in the process of removing caffeine from black tea. The American Medical Association (AMA) has stated that up to seven cups of black tea a day does not represent excessive caffeine consumption for most adults.
Herbal teas aren’t actually tea at all. However, they are often very tasty. They can be made from many different flowers and herbs. Varieties include peppermint, peach, strawberry, and lemongrass.
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