Types of Tea Varieties
" Drinking a daily cup of tea will surely starve the apothecary. "
~Chinese Proverb
There are four main types of tea to choose from.
Tea processing is what produces these different tea types. Since all tea comes from one plant, an evergreen of the Camellia family(regardless of the region), it is only the different processing methods that produce the tea types that we enjoy today.
From these, there are many different varieties within each category, making over 3,000 kinds of tea from around the world. Some teas are blended with other leaves, flowers and oils.
The final taste and quality of the tea leaves depend on many important factors - soil, climate, conditions, plucking, processing, blending, and packaging.
Most commercially grown tea types are produced in China; Assam, India; and Cameroon, Africa.
For more facts about tea, click on each individual tea type below.
White Tea - Throughly light and elegant tea. Find what the benefits of white tea drinking can do for you.
Green Tea - A mild and healthful tea. What are the green tea benifits for you?
Oolong Tea - Very smooth and sophisticated tea. Find what the benefits of oolong tea are.
Black Tea - Classic tea that is complex and bold. Find what the benefits of black tea drinking can do for you.
Other Tea Categories
Flavored Tea - the addition of flowers, herbs and spices
Compressed Tea - tea bricks, tea cakes and Pu'erh tea
Organic Tea - cultivation under organic rules
Herbal Tea - herbs, fruit, and flower infusions that are not from the Camellia sinensis plant
Iced Tea - an infusion or tisane served over ice