Tea Types
All tea comes from a single plant: Camellia sinensis. What makes each type distinct is not where it grows, but what happens to the leaf after harvest.
The degree of oxidation, the method of drying, the patience of the maker — these are what transform the same humble leaf into six entirely different experiences.
A Guide to the Six Types of Tea
Green tea leaves are quickly heated after harvest — pan-fired or steamed — to stop oxidation before it even begins. This simple act preserves the leaf at its most natural, producing a cup that is fresh, clean, and gently alive. Pan-firing tends to bring a subtle toasty warmth while steaming gives a lighter, more herbaceous cup. It is the most widely drunk tea in China, with a history stretching back over a thousand years — and once you find the right one, it is easy to understand why.
Of all six teas, white tea is the least processed. The leaves are simply picked and left to wither and dry slowly in the open air, with almost no human intervention. What emerges is something remarkably delicate — light, faintly floral, and carrying a natural sweetness that needs no coaxing. Historically produced only in Fujian province, white tea was once reserved for Chinese imperial tribute.
Made similarly to green tea, but with one additional step. After heating, the leaves are gently wrapped and allowed to rest — a process known as sealed yellowing — which softens any grassiness and coaxes out a mellow, rounded sweetness. Yellow tea is the rarest of the six, produced in only a handful of regions across China and little known beyond its borders.
Oolong is where the craft of tea making becomes most visible. The leaves are partially oxidised, and where that process is stopped determines everything. A lightly oxidised oolong is bright and floral, with the freshness of a green tea. Take the oxidation further and it transforms into something roasted, layered, and deeply complex. What makes oolong particularly rewarding is how it opens up across multiple steeps, each brew revealing a slightly different side of the same leaf. No two oolongs are quite alike.
Full oxidation transforms the tea leaf entirely, turning it dark and rich, and drawing out warm notes of honey, malt, and dried fruit that lighter teas never reach. Chinese black teas are a world apart from what most people in the West are familiar with — smoother, rounder, and far gentler on the palate. Brewing traditions vary across regions, but the feeling a good black tea leaves you with is always the same: warm, settled, and quietly satisfied.
Pu-erh follows a path unlike any other tea. After an initial processing similar to green tea, the leaves undergo a microbial fermentation — either naturally over many years, or through an accelerated process developed in Yunnan in the 1970s. The result is earthy, deep, and layered in a way that is difficult to describe until you have tasted it. Aged pu-erh cakes are collected and traded much like fine wine, their complexity deepening with time. It is a tea that asks for patience, and gives back generously.
Tea Quiz
A few thoughtful questions are all it takes to uncover the teas most suited to your palate and lifestyle.
Let the Journey Begin