Green Tea

Plucking a tea leaf, like slicing apart an apple, begins a complicated chain of oxidative and enzymatic processes that results in brown plant tissue with distinct smells and scents. Green tea's purpose is to stop these reactions as soon as possible, keeping the leaf's vegetal flavour.Spring peas, freshly cut grass, lightly toasted hazelnut, and even brackish seaweed floating in the broth are all flavours that green teas can have. Greens of high quality have a strong scent and a sweet flavour.

The increased amount of antioxidants kept in the leaf by arresting oxidation rapidly has sparked a lot of buzz about green tea's supposed health advantages. This is a case where, in my opinion, the verdict is still out. Furthermore, suggestions that green tea contains less caffeine than other varieties are untrue.

Caffeine is found in all Camellia sinensis teas, although the exact amount is regulated by a variety of characteristics that have nothing to do with processing. So you drink green tea because you enjoy the flavour.Sencha and gyokuro, both of which have a deep umami sweetness, as well as lighter Chinese types like bi luo chun and tai ping hou kui, the latter of which is composed of huge appealing leaves pressed flat as a bookmark, are two of my favorites.

Black Tea

Green tea's polar opposite is black tea, which is made by allowing fresh tea leaves to fully oxidize before drying. This oxidation, combined with the leaves' careful rolling and kneading, results in malty and tannic components, as well as fruity and chocolate flavors. Many tea users find that black tea is easier to drink on an empty stomach than green tea because of this thorough oxidation.Black tea processing results in richer tastes and a fuller body across the board, which is why it goes so well with milk (fresh or condensed), sugar, honey, spices, and my personal favorite, a tablespoon of Russian-style raspberry jam.

In the nineteenth century, Britons liked black tea from China. When planters in British territories in India, Sri Lanka, and Kenya battled to find out how to process all the tea they'd stolen from China and forced indigenous to produce on their own soil, they turned to black tea.To this day, the Indian states of Assam and Darjeeling produce some of the world's most well-known black teas; the former is particularly brisk and malty, while the latter is well-known for its delicacy and delicate flavor. Baked plum and chocolate flavors can be found in Chinese black tea styles like as mao Feng and Keemun. My life-or-death black teas, on the other hand, are from Taiwan.Sun Moon Lake cultivars are incredibly aromatic, with notes of ripe cherry and spice and a body so thick you'd guess there was sugar added.

Oolong Tea

Oolong teas are in the middle of the oxidation spectrum, with green teas scarcely oxidised and black teas almost totally oxidised. They're a cheesy category since oolongs have such a wide spectrum of flavour and scent due to unique changes in how they're prepared. The methods to wither, knead, fire, roll, dry, and roast oolong take a day to learn but a lifetime to master, similar to cooking the perfect omelet.There is no English title for the category because it is so complicated and rarely understood in the West; the closest translation of the Mandarin "wu long" is "black dragon," which refers to the serpentine shape of certain oolong tea varieties created in Fujian Province.

High mountain oolongs in Taiwan may appear almost as green as green tea, but a few nudges of oxidation have turned the crisp, grassy notes into creamy, buttery flavours with a pronounced floral lilt.Older styles like dong ding and tieguanyin are more oxidised and subsequently nutty, surrendering the strong aromatics of their less oxidised counterparts for a richer body and a long-lasting finish.

Roasting oolong is as important as manufacturing it in China. The Wuyi cliffs' heavily roasted oolongs smoulder with whiskey-like aromas of caramel, leather, and a hint of mineral saline.

Before drinking, many traditional teas are matured for months, years, or even decades. While green teas and lighter oolongs are best savoured when young, a variety of white, black, and oolong varieties can mature into new depths with age. Because processing processes may not completely eradicate the microscopic organisms naturally present in tea leaves, some teas undergo bacterial and fungal activity throughout age. Although these teas do not produce alcohol or lactic acids in the same way that beer or pickles do, they are fermented nonetheless, and certain vintages fetch tens of thousands of dollars per pound at auction.

Pu-erh is the most well-known of these fermented teas, and it's produced in China's Yunnan Province, as well as neighbouring Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. This tea starts off as a green tea, but as it ages, the grassy flavours fade away, leaving a deep depth of varnished wood, worn leather, and mellow earthiness in its place.Liu an, my personal favorite, undergoes a similar process and is matured in little bamboo baskets lined with bamboo leaves that can be brewed alongside the tea. This is not to be confused with Burmese fermented tea leaves, which are lactofermented before being mixed into salads and are not used for tea.

White Tea

White teas emphasise letting nature take its course, whilst oolongs emphasis thorough processing. Tea leaves are plucked and dried in the sun or using powerful air vents with minimal processing. The leaves oxidise slightly as they dry, giving them a rich, creamy texture and mild floral tastes.

White teas are rather delicate, with the exception of coarser leaf grades such as gong mei and shou mei. Silver needle is the most delicate of the bunch, with a marshmallowy sweetness and a fresh linens perfume. It's created only from unopened buds. White peony, also known as Bai mu dan, has a more floral scent.
 

Teas prepared from herbs, flowers, and grains are known as tisanes or herbal infusions to separate themselves from Camellia sinensis teas. They are likely as old as "real" tea itself. Tea leaves were used as a medication long before they were used as a beverage, and many popular herbal teas started out as medicinal teas. You've certainly heard of chamomile, mint, and rose-hip, but you should also look for elderflower, Greek mountain herb tea, and chrysanthemum, all of which have a devoted following worldwide.

Teas produced from toasted grains are very popular in Korea and Japan. Soothing, naturally rich beverages can be made using barley, Tartary buckwheat, Job's tears, and even maize silk. Even better, these teas are delightfully refreshing whether cold brewed or served over ice, making them the ideal caffeine-free drink to make in bulk and guzzle throughout the hottest summer days.