A Guide to Tea Varieties
While all true tea is made from a single species of plant, Camellia sinensis, there are dozens upon dozens of styles of tea grouped into six basic categories defined by their processing methods. Here's a guide to learn more about the leaves you use in a cup of tea.
WHITE TEA
White tea is the least processed of all tea types by leaving freshly plucked leaves to dry in the sun. The most expensive white teas consist of first-flush bud-only pickings known as Silver Needles (Bai Hao Yin Zhen) from Fuding in Fujian province, but white tea is also popular in Yunnan province where it is sometimes made from the leaves of wild tea trees. Its flavor profile is often compared to that of dried hay with a honeyed sweetness and notes of peach and honeysuckle. White teas to try: Silver Needles (Bai Hao Yin Zhen), White Peony (Bai Mudan), Moonlight White (Yue Guang Bai)
GREEN TEA
Green tea is by far the most universally prized and traditional tea in East Asia. Green tea achieves its signature freshness through the application of heat early in its processing, not unlike the way you might quickly blanch a vegetable to lock in its vibrant green color. The flavor of green tea ranges from grassy and vegetal to nutty and buttery depending on the style and cultivar. It is widely lauded for its antioxidant properties. Green teas to try: Longjing (Dragon Well), Anji Bai Cha, Bilouchun
BLACK TEA
Black tea, the default style of tea in the West, is called red tea (Hong Cha) in China for its rusty-red hue. To make black tea, the leaves are first withered to remove excess moisture, then bruised to release oils and enzymes in a process called rolling which also helps to accelerate oxidation. Available in many varieties, the taste and aroma of black tea can vary greatly, exhibiting qualities ranging from sharp tannins to malty sweetness to fruity flavors. Black teas to try: Jin Jun Mei, Lapsang Souchong, Dianhong
OOLONG TEA
Often sharing characteristics of black and green teas, oolong is a partially oxidized tea that typically undergoes a unique roasting or baking process that distinguishes it from other varieties. Although its origins are Chinese, it is now most widely produced in Taiwan where it is the focus of much innovation and experimentation. Many learn to appreciate tea after their first encounter with oolong. Certain styles explode with intense floral or fruity notes while others like those made from the jin xuan cultivar express themselves as “milky.” The leaves are either twisted into strips or rolled into balls that miraculously unfurl as they steep. Oolong teas to try: Iron Goddess of Mercy Tieguanyin), Phoenix (Dan Cong), Frozen Summit (Dong Ding)
YELLOW TEA
Once exclusive to emperors and the most elite, yellow tea is an increasingly rare and expensive type of tea. It is processed similarly to green tea with the added step of storing the leaves in a covered, warm, humid environment which gives the leaves their yellow tint and mellow flavor. Yellow teas to try: Huo Shan Huang Ya, Junshan Yinzhen
PU’ER TEA
Originally developed as a method for preserving tea for the sake of long-distance trade and storage, pu’er tea is a distinct style of fermented tea from Yunnan. Raw pu’er (sheng) starts off similar to green tea but is pressed into cakes for fermentation. Ripened pu’er (shou) undergoes a more recent technique called wetpiling that exponentially accelerates the fermentation process. Pu’ers labeled as gushu are made from ancient tea trees as old as 200 to 300 years. Sheng teas can be extremely bitter, but many express notes of apricot jam, whereas shou is often described anywhere from earthy and woody to sweet and syrupy.
