We all know that tea is one of the widely-consumed beverage around the world. Its history spans over 5,000 years and was popular even before the Egyptians built the great pyramids. Since ancient times, tea has been revered for its bountiful health benefits and therapeutic properties. Today, over 6 billion pounds of tea are harvested annually, and the best loose-leaf teas are comparable to fine wine. Tea can be broadly classified into six categories those are – Yellow tea, Green Tea, Oolong Tea, White Tea, Black Tea, and Red tea.
Let’s know them one by one-
- Green Tea
It is one of the least oxidised tea. Before been rolled and diced, to make green tea, fresh leaves a plucked from the plant through the process of heating. These tea leaves are not much processed, as they will lose their green colour and vegetal taste. In recent times, the green tea has gained immense popularity as a weight loss promoter.
- Yellow Tea
This is tea is processed in similar way to Green Tea. Yellow tea is processed in much the same way as green tea. However, once “fixed”, the damp leaves are lightly “sweltered” for six to eight hours at a closed container, which turns them yellow. Yellow teas taste similar to black teas though they are milder.
- White Tea
The White tea is harvest by hand, but only few days each of spring. The tea is made of baby leaves of tea plant. It is also one of the least processed type of tea variety. However, the tea is reported to have the highest antioxidant content present and lowest level of caffeine.
- Oolong Tea
The cultivation and manufacture of classic oolong tea is restricted to South-eastern China and the island of Taiwan. Often, different tea estates have their preferred ways of making oolong. It is because of the intricacy of this process that oolong teas can have the widest array of flavours and aromas. High quality oolongs are among the world’s most expensive teas.
- Black Tea
Black tea is widely known type of the tea as it comes from the tea plant which are fully oxidised. To make black tea, freshly-picked leaves are withered until they are pliable enough to be rolled, releasing juices and enzymes that react with oxygen. The bruised and sticky leaves, whose juices are now exposed to the air, are spread out and allowed to reacted with oxygen.
- Red Tea
Also, called red tea because of its vibrant, ruby red colour, rooibos has a sweet, full-bodied flavour without a trace of bitterness. As a source of powerful antioxidants, rooibos strengthens the body’s immune system and contains some of the highest known levels of anti-aging properties of any plant on earth. Rooibos is also known for its ability to replenish the skin from the inside out, promote restful sleep, and aid relaxation.
From one tea plant, it is possible to derive six types of tea: green tea, yellow tea, white tea, oolong tea, black tea and red tea. Each tea type can be further broken down by their styles–which can result from modifications in the processing method– type of tea plant, the cultivar, or even the intention of the tea maker.
