There are four main types of tea and they all come from the Camellia Sinensis plant. Even though the same leaves are used each type is processed differently. The way the tea is dried and fermented determines what type of tea it becomes. There are numerous subtypes of tea that fall under these four main types.
The four main types of tea are:
· White Tea: This tea is the rarest and also the least processed. It has very high levels of anti-oxidants and is low in caffein. Its name comes from the silver threads found on the tea buds. White tea has a delicate sweet flavor. My favorite white tea is Silver Needle.
· Green Tea: This tea is low in caffeine and high in antioxidants. It has a multitude of health benefits because of the high level of anti-oxidants kept in its leaves after processing. My favorite green tea is Dragonwell.
· Oolong Tea: Oolong tea leaves are only partially oxidized. This means that the tea leaves are bruised instead of crushed and broken. They are allowed to ferment to a desired level and then steamed or pan heated to stop the fermentation. Oolongs are brown in color. Formosa Oolong tea is my favorite Oolong tea. · Black Tea: This is the most popular tea. It has more caffeine and fewer antioxidants that all other teas. Black tea is fully oxidized so it has the least amount of anti-oxidants. Darjeeling is my favorite type of black tea.