There are actually White, Green, Oolong, Black teas. All tea comes from the plant camellia sinensis -the difference between the types of tea relates to the way in which the leaves are processed.

White teas are fairly rare, and often used for special occasions or ceremony. New tea leaves are plucked from the plant and allowed to wither and dry in the shade. They produce a pale, delicate infusion the color of straw.

Green teas are considered non-oxidized, as the leaves are “withered”, or dried until limp and pliable, in the shade then heated until fully dry to prevent their natural oils from interacting with air. The heat source can be the sun, a warm air source, or “pan fried” in a wok or hot roasting pan. In China, a few teas are steamed as well. The leaves are rolled after they become moist, and then re-heated or left to dry. Green teas, high in antioxidants, taste fresh and grassy and must be brewed in cooler water for a limited amount of time in order to achieve the best flavor.

Oolong teas are known as “semi-oxidized”. Leaves are plucked and immediately processed through placement in direct sunlight. They are then lightly bruised through shaking in a bamboo basket in order to release some of the natural oils. At a certain point, judged by the tea master, the natural oxidation process is halted by “firing”, quickly heating the leaves until they are dried.

Black teas undergo four basic processes: 1) withering,2) rolling and bruising of the leaves to release natural oils, 3) allowing the oils to interact with air for varying amounts of time turning the leaf copper to red in color, then 4) “firing” quickly at very hot temperatures to stop the oxidation process and fully dry the leaf. This last step of “firing” turns the leaf black.

Tea “gardens” or estates are often a century or more old with regional differences in soil, climate, altitude and growing techniques producing variations of tea leaf. When and how the leaf is plucked and processed, grading of the leaves, blending, transportation, storage, and packaging all affect the final taste. Most tea experts agree that whole leaves kept fresh by proper storage make the best teas.