Types of Tea

Tea is considered to be the second most popular beverage in the world, the first being water. There exist various varieties of tea, ranging from strong black tea to healthy green tea. Though they are different, all of them originate from the same plant - the Camellia Sinensis. They differ from each other on the basis of processing and the geographical conditions of region where the plant is cultivated. Generally, the plant is also referred to as the tea plant, and the areas where these plants are cultivated are known as tea plantations.

Different Types of Tea

Since ancient times, tea has been associated with several cultures across the world. The origin of the tea plant can be traced back to Southeast Asia, from where, it was introduced to more than 50 nations around the world. Today, tea has not only become one of the most popular beverage in the world, but has also undergone tremendous change and resulted in introduction of several different varieties of tea, each better than the other.

Black Tea: Black tea is the most oxidized among the various tea types. It is also stronger and has relatively more caffeine content than the other varieties. In the process of oxidization, the water in the tea leaves evaporates, and the leaves absorb more oxygen. Pu-erh tea is a type of black tea which is oxidized twice, and hence, is stronger than the other black tea types. The dark brown and black color of the leaves, from which the black tea is made, can be attributed to the process of oxidization. Though, referred to as the black tea, it is actually crimson in color, and hence, the Chinese refer to this variety as crimson tea.

Green Tea: Exactly opposite to the black tea, green tea is the least oxidized variety of the tea. It also has the least amount of caffeine which seldom exceeds 30 percent. It is also associated with several health benefits. One of the most prominent health benefit of the green tea consumption, on regular basis, is that it reduces the chances of heart attacks and certain types of cancer to a great extent. Though, it constitutes only 10 percent of the total production and consumption of the tea in the world, it is catching up fast, owing to its increasing popularity in regions wherein black tea has been the most popular tea type.

Oolong Tea: One of the most popular tea in China, Oolong tea is more oxidized than the green tea, but lesser than that of the black tea. Being one of the finest, it is also one of the most expensive tea. It is an ideal choice for people who are wary of the strong flavor of the black tea or the subtle flavor of the green tea. Oolong tea is further divided into different sub-types depending on the region where it is grown and the kinds leaves used. Irrespective of which sub-type you choose, it is considered to be one of the best tea types produced in China and tastes better without adding milk or sugar to it.

White Tea: Like green tea, white tea undergoes minimal oxidization, however the tea leaves chosen to prepare this variety are picked from young buds. Most subtle among different types, the white tea has a natural sweetness associated with it. The varieties of white tea include the Ceylon white, Darjeeling white, Assam white and the African white. Studies have revealed that the anti-bacterial properties of white tea are much more superior to that of the green tea.

Each of the 'kind' mentioned above has several varieties of its own. The white tea grown in Sri Lanka, for instance, differs from the white tea grown in India. Although, the word 'tea' is used to refer to any beverage prepared from the leaves of a plant, it is technically incorrect to do so. The term 'tea' technically refers to those beverages made from the Camellia Sinensis. Taking this criterion into consideration, herbal infusions, more commonly referred to as herbal teas, are actually, not true to form, and therefore are not included with the different kinds of tea mentioned above.