Hi friends! I wanted to talk about all the different teas, starting with the basics, like the difference between black tea, green tea, and white tea, and then diving into more detail to cover the burning questions like, “what the heck is an oolong?” and “are herbal teas really teas?” Upon further thought, I realize there is way too much information to cover in a single post, which is why you have a multi-part series to look forward to!
Part 1 (this one!) will cover the intro-level; What are black, green and white teas, why they are the way they are, what makes them special, and a little bit about their flavor profiles and what they pair well with. In part 2 we’ll explore some of the less common varieties of tea, and part 3 will elaborate more on blends, flavor additives, and other popular ingredients found in teas.
Did you know that black, green, and white teas all come from the same plant? It’s a common misconception that the main types of tea are different because they are from different varieties. The kinds of unique traits that each tea presents actually depends on how the plant is processed! I know when I found this out I was mind. Blown.
Black Tea
Black tea is harvested as mature leaves, then goes through four steps before it’s ready to hit your cup. Many of the popular black teas, such as Darjeeling and Assam, come from those regions in India. First, the leaves are left out to wither until they are somewhat pliable. This is important for the next step, where they roll the leaves to release flavor-enhancing chemicals. From there the leaves are spread out on a tray for a few hours in a high-humidity (but not hot) space and allowed to go through a process called oxidation, which changes the color of the tea to a reddish brown. The final step involves drying the leaves, which is traditionally done over open fires, however is more commonly done by roasting them in ovens. The end result is dark colored tea leaves with a strong, malty flavor.
Green Tea
Green tea is widely considered the healthiest tea you can drink, as it contains high levels of vitamins and antioxidants. Those health benefits, in combination with the caffeine, provides you with a natural source of energy that won’t make you jittery or anxious like a cup of coffee sometimes can. Because the majority of the worlds green tea comes from either China or Japan, medical professionals speculate that the high availability of the tea and its long-standing popularity within those cultures play a part in the historically long, healthy lives of the people in those regions. After the young leaves are plucked, they are dried and then heated briefly, either by roasting or steaming, to stop the oxidation process that I mentioned earlier. This step gives the tea its light, refreshing taste which it is so popular for. This step in the process also softens the leaves by reducing the moisture content, allowing the tea leaves to be rolled into balls then dried. The finished leaves are medium to dark green in color and delightfully aromatic.
White Tea
White tea has the simplest process. It starts on tea plantations, usually in China or South Asia, where buds are picked from the plant before the leaves open, set out to wilt, then dried. The leaves at this stage are a very pale silvery-green color. Because only the buds of a crop's new growth are used, this kind of tea is produced in very small quantities, making it the rarest and often most expensive variety of tea.
So hopefully now you have the full picture of what goes into your cup of tea, and you can use this to choose teas that better suit your tastes and mood. In the next part of the series, which can be found here, we will talk a little bit about some of the more specialized varieties of tea, and you will be well on your way to being an expert! Until then, Much love!
Thanks for sipping with us!
Marielle @Moonstone Teas and Botanicals
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