At a recent staff meeting, I was quite surprised that there are still people who thinks that the various types of chinese tea comes from different species of plants. Well yeah, Pu Er teas does taste so much different from say a Dragonwell tea, but the fact is, all true tea comes from the same plant, the Camellia sinensis plant. The word tea has nowadays been loosely used to include beverages made from other types of leaves or flowers of other plants(known as tisanes), but true tea only comes from the tea bush, the Camellia sinensis. This means your favourite camomile tea, rose tea etc are not really true teas but are actually called tisanes.

The different types of chinese tea tastes the way they are due to the different methods that the raw tea leaves are actually processed, main differences being the level of fermentation:

1) Green Teas

Green teas are teas that do not undergo the fermentation process. In this way, the leaves will retain its iginal green color and natural fragrance and flavour, producing a light coloured tea with a more “grassy” aftertaste. An example of a green tea would be Dragonwell.

2) Red Teas

Red teas are fully fermented tea leaves that gives a robust, strong flavoured and dark colored tea when it is brewed. Most western types of tea such as Darjeeling and Assam tea are red teas.

3) Oolong Teas

Oolong teas are partially fermented teas, giving it the characteristics of both green and red teas. It leaves a sweet and pleasant aftertaste. An example would be Tie Guan Yin (Iron Goddess of Mercy)

4) Black Teas

Black tea is a kind of tea that is left to ferment for many years in an “aging” process. This kind of post-fermentation process imparts to the tea brew a dark color and earthy flavor. One example would be Pu Erh Tea.

Now that you know the basic differences between the various teas, do make an effort to explore and enjoy the many types of chinese teas and I’m sure you’ll soon be able to find you personal favourites among them!