All tea - whether green, white, black or purple (yes, purple tea is a thing) - comes from the leaves and buds of the tea plant (Camellia Sinensis).
What are the main types of tea?
White Tea
Yellow Tea
White Tea
Most varieties of White Tea undergo minimal processing. Premium White Tea is harvested from the very first spring growth of the tea plant, with only the tips and buds being picked. White Tea has a delicate, almost ethereal flavour, and shouldn't be brewed at temperatures above around 75 degrees.
Green Tea
Yellow Tea
White Tea
Green Tea is minimally processed, the most important step in the process being called 'kill green', which locks in the delicate flavours and prevents further chlorophyll development.Japanese Green Teas tend to have grassy, herbal characteristics, with Chinese Teas displaying nutty, sweeter flavours.
Yellow Tea
Yellow Tea
Yellow Tea
Only a tiny proportion (less than 2%) of the global tea crop is used to make Yellow Tea. Mainly consumed in China, Yellow Tea produces a sweet, fragrant brew, not unlike aged Green Tea.
Oolong Tea
Oolong Tea
Yellow Tea
You could think of Oolong Tea as the halfway step between Green Tea and Black Tea. Not as heavily oxidised as Black Tea, Oolong's unique taste comes from a process of withering, then bruising the leaves, before being rolled and dried.
Black Tea
Oolong Tea
Black Tea
Eighty per cent of the world's tea ends up as black tea. Sadly, most of that is in tea bags or sweet commercial iced tea beverages. High quality Black Tea is hard to find, and once you've tried it, you'll never accept a tea bag again.
Dark Tea
Oolong Tea
Black Tea
Dark Teas, the most common of which is Pu-Ehr, are nearly all sourced from China's Yunnan Province. Unlike Black Tea, Pu-Ehr is fermented rather than oxidised. This results in unique earthy, mushroomy flavours. Aged Pu-Ehr (up to 60 years old) is highly prized for both its medicinal and investment qualities.