All varieties of Tea come from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis. The tea is then defined by the variations in the processing of the tea leaves. The standard way of processing tea is as follows:
1. Picking
2. Wilting
3. Cooking
4. Rolling
5. Drying
1. White Teas
White tea is the rawest form of all the tea types. Unlike most other teas white tea has no withering step meaning that they are only lightly baked before rolling. This means that the tea is less bruised keeping the flavour light and delicate. The white tea gets it's unusual colour from the fact that the unwithered leaves still have a tiny layer of white furs which when heated gives the tea its distinct colour.
2. Green Teas
Green tea is the same as White tea as it also has no withering step however it completely changes because of how it is cooked. Green teas are baked for much longer than a white tea, in China they use large woks to fry the tea. Meanwhile in Japan they instead steam the tea giving a different flavour. A Chinese Green tea is much more sweet and fruity compared to the savoury, vegetation of a Japanese Green tea.
3. Yellow Teas
Yellow tea is by far the rarest of the types. Yellow tea is made unique by the fact that it follows an extra step called sweltering. A yellow tea will follow the same steps as a green tea however, after baking it will be left to swelt in the blistering heat of the steam where the tea will change and become yellow. This type of tea became unpopular as it was believed to be a poorly made green tea but in recent years has resurfaced again.
4. Oolong Teas
Oolong tea is by far the largest variety of tea. An Oolong has no real definition beyond any tea between a Green tea and a Black tea. However, this gives it a great variety in style and flavour because of the large area to experiment. Oolong tea is any tea that has been wilted but not as heavily cooked as a black tea. This leads to huge amounts of variation between styles from light and floral to baked and earthy.
5. Black Teas
Black tea is the biggest jump in terms of both flavour and colour. Black tea has a much longer and hotter bake than any of the other types giving it it's iconic colour. This leads to a much stronger tea that is what most people consider proper tea. This tea is often broken up into small pieces and placed into tea bags for a much faster and stronger brew. This however, looses most of the flavour in exchange for ease.
6. Pu-Erh Teas
Pu-erh is the most unusual of any of the types. This tea like Yellow tea follows an extra step and is more uncommon. Pu-erh is often picked from ancient tea trees at least 100 years old. It is then separated into two main varieties, Raw or Ripe. A Raw Pu-erh is often packaged into tight cakes which is then left to age for 10's of years. However, Ripe Pu-erh tea is fermented. The tea is left in a warehouse and is carefully watched by a master tea maker while the tea slowly ferments itself. This is also then packed into tight cakes where it will continue to ferment over time.
Comments