A Newbie's Guide to Tea: Types of Tea and Why It Matters

This is the second part of my "Newbie's Guide to Tea" series.

It can be overwhelming to read about tea and say, "White? Black? Green? Oo-what? What do I DRIIIIINK?!" In this post, I'll get all my information from Wikipedia, condense it into one blog post so you don't have to do all the research yourself, and basically explain the differences between types of tea as I understand it.

The basic categories of tea are as follows:

Black
Green
White
Oolong
Pu'erh
Rooibos
Maté
Herbal

Black Tea
- comes from the leaves of the camellia sinensis plant.
- highly oxidized tea (left to turn black)
- known in China as "Red Tea"
- stronger in flavour
- generally higher in caffeine
- retains flavour longer than most other teas
- has been used as currency in some parts/ times of the world
- best steeped with boiling (98°C) water for 3-5 minutes
- generally from China, India, Sri Lanka or Tibet

Green Tea
- comes from the leaves of the camellia sinensis plant
- minimal oxidization
- rich in antioxidants
- best steeped in ~81°C-87­°C water for 2-3 minutes (too hot or too long makes the tea bitter)
- can be steeped multiple times
- generally from China or Japan

White Tea
- comes from the buds and leaves of the camellia sinensis plant
- often slightly more expensive due to the delicate nature of the leaf
- very little processing is used for these leaves
- generally steeped in 94°C water for 3-5 minutes (some white teas are very picky with their water, though, so read the steeping information on your tea)
- generally from China, Taiwan, Nepal or Thailand

Oolong Tea
- comes from the leaves of the camellia sinensis plant
- semi-oxidized
- contains caffeine, but less than black tea
- often rolled into beads or tubes
- can be steeped up to 4 times
- best steeped in not-quite boiling (93°C-96°C) water for anywhere from 3-10 minutes
- generally from Taiwan or China

Pu'erh Tea
- comes from the leaves of the camellia sinensis plant
- considered "post-fermented" because they are oxidized twice rather than only once
- known in China as "Black Tea" (confusing, isn't it??)
- technically, this is green tea that's gone through the tea process twice (that is a VERY BASIC explanation of this. it's way more complicated and complex than I make it sound)
- often pressed into different shapes or bricks
- best steeped in ~95°C water (though higher quality tea requires a lower steeping temperature) for anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes.
- generally from China, Vietnam, Laos or Burma

Rooibos
- comes from a broom-like member of the legume family
- means Red Bush in Afrikaans
- low caffeine
- high in antioxidants
- can be turned into a CapeTown Fog (like a London Fog, which is steeped Earl Grey with milk, sugar and vanilla)
- best steeped in ~98°C water for 4-7 minutes
- grown exclusively in South Africa

Maté
- comes from yerba maté, which is a South American holly
- very high in caffeine (considered a stimulant)
- more bitter than other types of tea
- high in antioxidants
- traditionally drunk out of a gourd or metal "guampa" or "mate" (two words for the same thing) with a straw that looks like a spoon with holes called a bombilla
- has a very particular brewing process for the best-tasting maté - very fascinating, actually. Check it out under "preparation".
- very social tea, especially in South America (considered "the drink of friendship")
- brewed in 70-80°C water. Never boiling. If you use boiling water for maté, it gets very bitter.
- leaves typically left in while drinking
- grown in Brazil, Argentina or Paraguay

Herbal Tea
- catch-all term for any tea or tisane that doesn't fit into one of these other categories
- can be made with herbs, fruit, plants or a mixture thereof
- extensive variety of teas
- brewing times vary. Typically brewed in boiling water for 3-6 minutes.
- grown... uh. anywhere you can grow things.

(Note: I got ALL OF MY INFORMATION from either Wikipedia, or the DAVIDsTEA website. The words are mine. The information is not.)

So why does it matter? 

It depends on why you are drinking tea. If you are drinking tea for health benefits, you're going to choose a different tea (most likely herbal or green) than if you are drinking it for flavour. If you don't want caffeine, chances are you'll pick an herbal tea. If you want MUCHOS caffeine, go with a maté or black tea.

Most teas come in a variety of flavours, so if you want to try a maté, but don't want a straight maté, you're in luck! If you want to experiment with oolong, I know that DAVIDsTEA has several varieties that might pique your interest.

If you don't have a thermometer, some of the finickier teas may be "not optimally brewed." (Don't worry, I brew them wrong all the time. They don't taste BAD, just not their best.....)

Your equipment may limit your tea-making experience. If you want to make traditional yerba maté, but don't have a guampa or bombilla, you're not going to be successful. Sure, you can put it in a tea bag or a tea ball and brew it in a cup, but you're not getting the "authentic experience" if that's what you're looking for.

Don't get me wrong. There's nothing WRONG with drinking tea in a tea bag. In fact, it's really very lovely (and entirely convenient!)! But there's something to be said for enjoying traditional tea in the traditional way (at least once, anyway). I know very little about tea ceremonies, or things like that, but I know that you shouldn't put flowering teas in a bag, because it completely defeats the purpose.



I hope this is at least somewhat helpful. Please let me know what else you'd like to see...