Types of Tea

The classic definition of tea is the brew made from the infusion of water and the leaves of an evergreen plant of the Camellia family.

In the tea industry, tea is defined as the dried processed leaves of Camellia sinensis, or Thea sinesis. Commercially, there are three major varieties of Camellia sinensis: the China type, the India (Assam region) type, and the Hybrid type (a cross breed of the China and India types). The China type tea plant has small leaves and usually grows well at higher altitudes. The India or Assam type has larger leaves and cultivates best at lower elevations. The Hybrid falls somewhere in between the China and India types.

There are four major types of tea: White, Green, Oolong and Black. Interestingly, all these teas come from the raw leaves of the same tea plant, Camellia sinensis. What distinguishes each category is the method used when processing the tea leaves. The way the leaves are processed-steamed, fermented (oxidized), dried, or bruised-gives the tea the special characteristics of its category.

CLICK HERE for tea processing flowchart.

Tea spin offs, such as scented, flavored or blended teas, are produced using one of the four major types of tea as a base. Tossing jasmine flowers with either black or green tea makes a scented tea such as jasmine tea. A flavored tea such as Earl Grey is mainly the combination of bergamot oil and a strong black tea. English Breakfast tea is usually a combination of different black tea leaves from India and Sri Lanka.

One term that has become part of our everyday lingo is "herbal tea." Since you now know that tea only comes from the tea plant Camellia sinensis, you may be wondering how a tea can be herbal. It can't be. A product has to be either herbal or tea-based. In the tea industry, beverages made with herbs or flower parts instead of tea are often referred to as tisanes, or herbal infusions.



The evergreen tea plant, also known as Camellia Sinensis or Camellia Assamica, comes from the genus Camellia, which dates back before the great ice age. If left wild, the tea tree can grow as tall as 60 feet, depending on the climate. There is even a1700-year-old tea tree in the Yunnan Province of China that stands over 100 feet tall.

Today, the tea plant, also known as the "tea bush," is pruned and harvested, and its height is maintained at about three feet. This tea bush is the standard for most of today's tea cultivation due to its richer and fuller leaves. There are even some people who say that tea is the oldest cultivated plant, having been nurtured for over 1000 years.

Affecting the thousands of varieties of tea are variables such as soil, altitude and weather. Some teas crave high mountains and cool mist, while others grow better in lower terrain. Most premium quality teas grow at higher elevations, where mountain mist and dew shield the plants from direct sunlight. This humidity helps protect the leaves during the cycle of each day, maintaining a temperature that allows the leaves and buds to develop and mature at a slower pace.

Besides factors such as geography and climate, the fate of tea is also dependent on human touch. Since all tea comes from one plant, the way it is processed is the artistry we taste in the final cup. If the leaves are immediately dried and then heated (steamed) or fired, the tea leaves remain green, retaining the distinctive flavors and health benefits green teas are known for. If left to wither, the leaves are transformed through a process known as oxidation (also known as fermentation) into black tea, of which there are hundreds of varieties.

In between these two stages lie the delicate oolong teas, which are partially oxidized. Tea leaves become oxidized when they are spread out in a cool area and left to absorb oxygen. The longer the leaves are left to wither, the more oxygen they absorb and the darker their color becomes. Hence, black tea is fully oxidized. Many of these teas are also rolled and shaped, creating various styles, tastes and grades. This process also adds to the uniqueness of the final product and is viewed as the "art of tea." During these refinements, the valuable whole leaves are removed from lower quality tea dust and fannings. Unfortunately, much of the tea we are exposed to is made from these leftovers. Once you have experienced a true cup of tea, the harder it is to drink tea dust and flavored teas.

CLICK HERE for tea processing flowchart.



Let's talk about the difference between loose-leaf tea and tea bags. Loose-leaf teas are usually made up of whole leaves or broken leaves, while tea bags are usually filled with fannings or dust. During processing, raw tea leaves are graded from best (the bud and the first two leaves of the shoot) to worst (fannings). Often the term Orange Pekoe pops up when we buy tea in the United States. Many people think that it is a special kind of tea and do not realize it is only a grading measurement of the tea leaves' size and condition. Here are some terms that are used often used when grading black teas (listed from best to worst):



Many tea connoisseurs consider brewed whole-leaf tea the best tasting. A whole leaf does have more surface area for water to extract the flavor characteristics of the tea. Tea bags made from f annings and dust, on the other hand, do not have much surface area for this extraction. Of course, the tea drinker may also enjoy the aesthetic beauty of the whole tea leaf unfolding in the cup while the tea is infusing.