A cup of tea can promote goodwill in a conversation between people or positive vibes in an individual. Tea drinkers around the world recently renewed their interest in the natural goodness and sophistication of this powerful herb. The rise of online tea stores and tea shops offering various concoctions of tea paved the way to the popularity of milk tea frappe with a variety of flavors and additives.
Centuries ago, tea was initially used as medicine, and it wasn’t until later that it grew into a popular beverage. Its health benefits as a potent antioxidant make the drink more popular not just for modern society, but also for regular tea drinkers.
People also believe that regular tea drinking produces optimal health benefits that can promote wellness and fitness. Tea helps people lose weight, aids in digestion, bowel movement, and reduces the risk of several diseases – diabetes, heart diseases, liver ailment, and cancer.
Before you get to know the different types of tea in the market, you should understand that all tea types come from the same essential plant, which is the Camellia sinensis. This plant is typical to Asian lands, but today, the cultivation of tea in tropical and subtropical areas in the world is beginning to thrive. There are 3,000 varieties of tea nowadays, especially when they incorporate some fruits and vegetables in it. To date, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world next to water.
The differences among teas arise from geographic location, growing conditions, and the processing, thereby designating names for each such as the following.
Black Tea
Black tea needs to wither, which precedes the process of oxidation. Its dark color (black or dark brown) characteristic is the result of full oxidation. Black tea has a robust taste because of more caffeine content.
Dark Tea
Dark tea is native to the Sichuan and Hunan provinces of China. It steeps up smooth with inherent sweetness, albeit being aged. It steeps up flat with a natural sweet note. They compress the tea leaves into cakes or bricks, giving it a unique shape.
Oolong or Wulong Tea
This tea needs to undergo oxidation, only partially. Its taste is not as pronounced as the black tea, and the caffeine content is not as high as the black tea but has an aromatic and distinct tone not far from fresh fruits and blooms.
Green Tea
Green tea needs to wither as well, but only slightly after the harvest. The oxidation process is just short, for it has to continue drying through rapid heating. Green tea has a subtle taste and lowers caffeine when you brew it for a lesser time under lower temperatures.
Every tea store has this wonder tea because if its many healthy attributes. It is, in fact, the most popular tea to health-conscious people because it can reduce weight and eliminates fats in the body.
White Tea
White tea is the most complicated of all drinks, for it uses the youngest shoots of the plant. It does not need oxidation, but they process the tea only by hand.
They are delicate types, and people appreciate its subtlety, natural sweetness, and complexity. The less time you brew it, the lesser its caffeine will be. In contrast, a more extended brewing period will exude a higher caffeine percentage to the beverage.
Pu’er Tea
The Yunnan province of China is the primary source of this tea, particularly in the areas of Xishuangbanna, Lincang, and Pu’er (hence, the name). All pu’er tea is made from the Yunnan-grown Assamica leaves.
Yellow Tea
Yellow is a rare type of tea that comes from China. The Huo Shan Yellow Buds are similar to green tea in characteristics and taste. However, yellow tea does not have the grassiness of the green tea. Yellow tea typically goes through more oxidation than green tea. It needs a slower drying period as it could take longer to process.
Author: Sarah Williams
This is a really interesting post. There are sooo many types of tea!
Green tea is the best for me i really love it because of its taste and health benefits. Nice article, good read and informative. .
You described very well about tea. I learnt many unknown fact about it from this article. After reading this article i can choose that which tea should i drink. Thanks very much for sharing this informative article.