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Different Types of Tea: Your Guide to the Perfect Cup

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Different Types of Tea: Your Guide to the Perfect Cup

Different Types of Tea: Your Guide to the Perfect Cup

introducing the basic types of tea

March 1, 2022

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There are so many different types of tea out there, it's easy to spend a lifetime tasting through everything. In this guide, we’ll explore all the basics so that you’ll be ready to dive in and find your next favorite!

Why do all types of tea taste different? Tea farmer Master Zhang Rongde explains that it is all about collaboration between the weather, the plant itself, and the skill of the craftsperson.

As the end of the day, different types of tea are defined by the craft applied. By learning what makes each tea different, you can better understand what you like.


"Different types of tea are defined by the craft applied."


What is Tea?

Many argue that tea is only the picked leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, but on a cultural level, tea can refer to many plants, especially if we focus on the craft involved in finishing and steeping the leaves.

For our purposes here, we’re talking about the incredible variety of tea that comes from just the Camellia sinensis plant, while acknowledging that tea culture is deeper than botanical classifications.

So where does tea ( Camellia sinensis ) come from? 

fresh picked Tieguanyin tea leaves in Daping, Anxifresh picked Tieguanyin tea leaves in Daping, Anxi
fresh picked Tieguanyin tea leaves in Daping, Anxi

Tea is an evergreen plant native to Southeast Asia. The plant was first documented in Emperor Shen Nong’s encyclopedia of medicine. The discovery of tea’s stimulant effect led to widespread cultivation, and over time, the development of preparation rituals and finishing techniques that go beyond simple picking and drying. 

From a humble wild-foraged medicine to one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, tea has had thousands of years to develop into the types of tea we are used to today.

tea grows in rows and greenhouses in Laoshan

the Li Family's Old Tree Shui Xian in tall groves

giant tea trees tower over Qianjiazhai

the same plant can produce a rainbow of different tea typesthe same plant can produce a rainbow of different tea types
the same plant can produce a rainbow of different tea types

Understanding Tea Varieties

What plant does tea come from? All traditional tea comes from the same plant - Camellia sinensis. Despite this common source, we see thousands of different teas consumed across the world. These types of tea are distinct because of the growing region, the specific varietal of tea used, and the finishing techniques applied to the leaves. 

Finishing technique alone defines the type of tea (like black tea versus green tea), while varietal and growing region influence the flavor and quality.

  • • Tea type is defined by craft

  • • Flavor and aroma can vary within a single tea type due to growing region and varietal

  • • Even within a tea type, the craft choices of each producers can dramatically change the flavor of any tea

fresh tea leaves in the He Family's workshop in Laoshan

the same Laoshan leaves finished two different ways

one harvest - two different teas: Bai Rui Xiang black (left) vs Bai Rui Xiang oolong (right)one harvest - two different teas: Bai Rui Xiang black (left) vs Bai Rui Xiang oolong (right)
one harvest - two different teas: Bai Rui Xiang black (left) vs Bai Rui Xiang oolong (right)

6 Different Types of Tea

Types of tea are defined by the craft of the producer.

The least processed teas are white tea and sheng pu’er. Because these teas do not undergo heat-fixing, these usually brew up delicate and floral. Green tea is briefly heat-fixed to lock in its fresh flavor, while black tea is allowed to oxidize, giving it a malty quality. Oolong requires fluffing to coax moisture out of the stems and leaves, making it deeply aromatic.

Through craft, the very same types of tea leaves can be transformed into all kinds of unique types of tea. Here’s our tea guide to get a quick introduction.

Types of Tea: a quick guide infographicTypes of Tea: a quick guide infographic
Types of Tea: a quick guide infographic

Black Tea

Black tea is known for its deep, malty, even chocolatey flavor. This cozy satisfying brew comes about through a unique process called oxidation.

This means piling up the leaves as they wither so that they don’t lose moisture too quickly, and exposing them to heat or warm sunlight.

Just like an apple slice beginning to turn brown in the open air, the tea leaves oxidize and turn their iconic reddish-black color. 

black tea oxidizes in Wuyishan

comparing buddy Wuyi black teas

traditional large leaf Wuyi black tea

Black tea became a popular tea in Europe because its flavor held up much better over the long ocean voyage from China. Soon, the British Empire was planting tea in India for import back to England. Today, black tea has caught on back in its birthplace of China, and is no longer just for export. The craft continues to evolve among younger farmers and craftspeople, prompting exciting new innovations like Jin Jun Mei.

There is a myth that black tea has the most caffeine, but it turns out that caffeine levels have much more to do with freshness and picking season. That said, it is true that black tea is likely to be brewed stronger and with hotter water, and this can extract more caffeine more quickly than traditional green tea brewing methods.

Types of Black Tea

There are thousands of unique types of black tea out there, from Assam to Earl Grey, but the black teas gaining fame and recognition back in China and raising black tea’s reputation worldwide for serious craft include:

Green Tea

With green tea, asking the question “where do tea leaves come from?” is especially important, because the minimal processing means the finished tea really reflects the environment where it grows. A good supplier knows the farmer and knows that the growing region is clean and biodiverse.

Green tea is made by picking the tea plant during a narrow window in early spring or autumn when the leaves are delicate and sweet, allowing them first to wither and then heat-fixing them to lock in flavor. Shaping and firing can be done by hand by farmers like Li Xiaoping in Dragonwell, or entirely by machine on larger farms.

There is a myth that green tea is low in caffeine. This is simply not true. Good green tea picked from buds in early spring is actually higher in caffeine than most teas. However, if green is steeped at a lower temperature to a lighter profile, less caffeine may be extracted.

Li Xiaoping picks tea in Shi FengLi Xiaoping picks tea in Shi Feng
Li Xiaoping picks tea in Shi Feng

Green tea captures the fresh, vegetal, sweet flavor of just-picked tea leaves, and green tea is best enjoyed the same season it was made. Great green tea should not be bitter and astringent.  Instead, the best green teas are rich and creamy, with complex texture and long aftertaste. 

Types of Green Tea

Fine green tea made by small family farmers is a fresh and aromatic window into the unique microclimate of that tea’s growing region. The best green teas that represent craft, freshness and climate are teas like:

Oolong Tea

Huang Ruiguang makes oolong teaHuang Ruiguang makes oolong tea
Huang Ruiguang makes oolong tea

Oolong tea is defined solely by one critical extra step - yaoqing, the turning and fluffing of leaves to coax out moisture. This step makes oolong tea floral, juicy, fruity and deeply aromatic. Yaoqing done by hand by farmers like Huang Ruiguang adds over 20 hours of craft to every micro-batch of tea.

Oolong finishing has little effect on caffeine levels. Oolong’s caffeine is higher when you use hotter water and longer infusions, and if the tea itself is fresher or grown with more competition and biodiversity.

In China, oolong tea is one of the most popular types of tea to make for competition tasting, with farmers like the Li Family in Wuyishan dedicating weeks or months to hand-firing the final tea and picking from wild cliffside bushes, making high-end award-winning oolong some of the most expensive tea in the world.

You might see oolong described as a type of tea in between black tea and green tea, but this is a bit deceiving. Oolong teas can be lighter than green tea and darker than black tea depending on the way they are roasted and finished. 

Types of Oolong Tea

Oolongs can vary widely,  with thousands of unique types of oolong out there. The absolute most famous Chinese oolong teas in the world include:

Pu’er Tea

Pu’er tea is one of the only types of Chinese tea that undergoes fermentation, and it is the most popular kind of tea that is intentionally aged like fine wine. Pu’er divides into two broad styles: old-school Sheng Pu’er which is allowed to age slowly over decades, and the new Shu Pu’er which ages initially in a high moisture environment in order to accelerate changes. The aging processes makes pu’er deep, sweet, foresty, and often cooling like camphor.

While pu’er is famous for getting better over time, you first have to start with good, clean, high quality tea in order for it to age into something truly nuanced and commanding. Great pu’er tastes good, even young!

Pu’er tea’s caffeine levels are highly debated and highly variable, but in general, it will depend more on bud vs leaf material and water steeping temperature and time.

If you want to try pu’er, be sure to seek out tea with clear provenance and transparent statements of origin as to when it was picked and where. Avoid sour or musty tea and seek out sweet, textural and compex brews.

a small 100g pressing of sheng pu'er teaa small 100g pressing of sheng pu'er tea
a small 100g pressing of sheng pu'er tea
a pitcher of shu pu'er teaa pitcher of shu pu'er tea
a pitcher of shu pu'er tea

Types of Pu'er Tea

Pu’er is often sold as a pressed cake, originally for convenient transport and aging. The most common sizes are 357g cakes, but smaller “dragon pearl” pressings and 100g mini cakes are a popular modern option. Pu’er tea is also available loose.

Here are just a few examples of the main kinds of pu’er:

White Tea

White tea is the least processed style of tea, made without heat-fixing. Instead, white tea relies on a quick-drying process to lock in fresh, crisp flavor and texture.

The most iconic white teas are made with delicate spring buds, and this often gives white teas a silvery appearance. While most Chinese white tea is made with the Da Bai varietal, white tea is defined by cra

ft and not cultivar. This means white tea can technically be made with any tea varietal if it is quick-dried without heat fixing and firing.

the Wu Family's buddy white teathe Wu Family's buddy white tea
the Wu Family's buddy white tea
the Wu Family's white tea workshopthe Wu Family's white tea workshop
the Wu Family's white tea workshop

The Wu Family in Fujian locks in fresh flavor by drying their white tea in a special air-circulated room on screens to draw out moisture without using extra heat.

There is a myth that white tea is low in caffeine, but this is generally not true. Younger leaf material picked earlier in the spring actually tends to be higher in caffeine to protect vulnerable buds from pests. That said, if you brew tea with cooler water or use less leaf, you will extract less caffeine, and this method is often the case for white tea brewing.

Types of White Tea

White tea’s iconic silvery color and delicate floral, crisp quality are best exemplified by teas from Fuding in Fujian Province China:

Herbal Tea

Herbal Tea refers to any dried plant that you steep in water that is not picked from the camellia sinensis plant. That includes common teas like ginger and chamomile, as well as “out there” wild near-tea relatives like Camellia crassicolumna

There is a movement in China to challenge this, asking the question: what does tea mean? There is a push to define tea by craft, not by species. Viewed in this way, herbal teas like Laoshan Goji Leaf could be called “tea” because farmers like the He Family in Laoshan use full green tea craft to finish their herbal tisanes.

Herbal tea is often thought of as a caffeine-free alternative to tea, but there are exceptions to this rule like yerba mate, cocoa, and more. These exceptions are another illustration of the difficulty of grouping tea vs non-tea so formally.

Flavor-wise, herbal tisanes can be just as diverse and versatile as the range of flavors within traditional tea itself. This makes herbal teas flexible for blending in all types of hot tea like chai, or mixing with traditional pressed tea for offerings like chrysanthemum pu’er.

Types of Herbal Tea

While chamomile, mint, and ginger are the most obvious herbal teas out there, the teas really pushing the boundaries are those herbals that are actually finished with traditional tea craft like: 

Browse Verdant Tea’s Selection and Broaden Your Horizons

Tea types are defined by craft. Black tea is not picked from a “black tea” plant - instead, tea leaves are made into black tea through the conscious decisions of each craftsperson when they allow their leaves to oxidize. The best types of tea come from the best small family farmers who make these complex craft decisions based on the weather, the unique conditions of the season, and on their own personal goals and interest in experimentation. 

Learning about all of the different kinds of tea out there is really an invitation to learn all about tea farmers and the way they make their teas taste so good. The best way to get a deeper understanding is to taste every type of tea for yourself, and at the same time, learn about the farmers who made each tea. 

Categories are changing and fluid. Nothing is better than your own experience. Who knows? Your new favorite tea is surely still waiting out there for you.

Kickstart your tea discovery with a free tea sampler!

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