Chinese Tea
Six Different Types Explained

Are you starting to learn about tea? Are you confused by the different types of tea that exist?

Broadly speaking, there are two main types of tea. First, you have the Camellia sinensis teas, which come from tea plants. This is what this article is about.

Then, you have the herbal teas, which are pretty much everything else i.e. dandelion tea, ginseng tea and flower tea.

The Chinese people characterize the Camellia sinensis tea by color of the tea liquor. So, here you are - the six types of Chinese tea!

Readers often ask me which tea has the most health benefits. Some so-called "experts" say it doesn't matter, black tea is equally healthy as green tea.

I beg to differ. Everything being equal, you would expect tea that contains more antioxidants to be healthier.

Researchers from the Department of Food Science and Technology School of Agricultural Biotechnology at Seoul National University found that green tea contains more tea antioxidants than black tea does.

Black tea has a relatively small percentage of the powerful antioxidants called theaflavins, only about 2 to 6%. Green tea, on the other hand, contains 30 to 42% of the powerful antioxidants called catechins.

Tea Antioxidants Debate - Green Tea Vs. Black Tea

Therefore, if you want to get maximum amount of antioxidants, drink teas that are the least oxidized. Green tea is unoxidized, white tea and yellow teas are slightly oxidized. They all have plenty of antioxidants.

The most famous Chinese Green Tea is the Dragon Well, widely regarded as the National Tea of China.

Many people think that white tea is the highest quality and the healthiest. Again, I beg to differ.

Quality depends on the tenderness of the tea leaves. The highest grade teas are usually harvested early spring, where the young tea buds contain high concentration of soluble solids such as theanine and antioxidants. Because they are only a couple of days old, they are pure and safe to drink.

So as long as you are drinking high grade tea buds, and not cheap, bitter-tasting mature leaves, you are getting quality.

But what about white tea?

So drinking white tea is akin to eating salad. It is raw and lovely to have on a hot summer day. White tea is untreated by high heat, which may explain why it is found to be more potent.

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The highest quality white tea is the Silver Needle, or Baihao Yinzhen.

Yellow teas that are slightly oxidized are like green tea and contains lots of antioxidants. Examples are Mengding Huangya and Huoshan Huangya.

(The word Huangya means Yellow Buds.)

The best Yellow Tea is heavily oxidized and more like a black tea, it is called Junshan Yinzhen. We haven't sourced this tea due to the high price of a high grade.

Oolong teas are often described as semi-oxidized. There are many types of oolong, but they can thought of as either green or dark.

Green Oolongs have low level of oxidation, and are often described as "green and floral". They are popular to Westerners, as they have a stronger taste compared to green tea, which can seem too light and subtle for some people.

Dark Oolongs are fully oxidized and roasted; they are more of an acquired taste for Westerners.

A good way to try both green and dark oolongs is to get the Iron Goddess Sampler Pack.

People often ask me if oolong or Pu-erh tea is better for weight loss. The answer is not really. All teas are good for losing weight, not just oolong tea.

Oolong Tea Weight Loss - 7 Facts And Fictions That You Must Know

While oolong tea is renown for its high level of aromatic oils, Chinese red tea is renown for its rich and mellow taste.

Now, a word of terminology.

Chinese red tea is the same as Chinese black tea, they are both fully oxidized.

A fully oxidized tea liquor is dark red in color, but the dried tea leaves are black in color. This is why the Chinese called it red tea, while Westerners call it black tea.

Few Westerners are interested in Chinese red tea, thinking that it is similar to the black tea they drink in the West. They can't be more wrong.

The best Chinese red tea tends to be the tippy varieties. Like green tea and white tea, they are made of young tea buds, not the mature leaves commonly drunk in the West.

Want to know which Chinese red tea offers excellent quality at affordable price?

Yunnan Gold Tea (Dian Hong) - Best Chinese Black Tea At Affordable Price

Having introduced the five different colors of Chinese tea, we finally arrive at the most exotic of them all: Pu-erh tea.

For most teas, oxidation occurs during the making process.

A traditional pu-erh tea is made with minimal oxidation. This means a raw pu-erh is like a green tea, white tea or yellow tea, depending on how it is made.

Post oxidation occurs afterwards.

A raw pu-erh tea can taste astringent and bitter.

After 3 to 5 years, some rawness still remains, mingled with some other smells.

After 5 to 10 years, you can detect ripeness in the dry leaves, which also acquires a tint of red. The tea liquor tastes sweet and mellow.

After 20 years, you can longer detect ripeness in the dry leaves, which now shines with a luster. A rich, powerful aroma emerges from the liquor, carrying fragrances that you would never imagine exist!

So, this is a tea that is perfect as a back-up. It never goes bad. It gets better over time.

Aged Pu-Erh Tea - Romancing the Chinese Yunnan

While the green tea and white tea have the highest level of antioxidants, it doesn't mean that you should only drink these two types of tea.

Drinking tea is as much about diversity and balance. You want to be drinking cooling (green tea, white tea) in the summer, and warming tea (dark oolong, red tea and pu-erh tea) in the winter.

Tea and Health - Balancing the Four Seasons

Tea and Chinese Herbal Medicine

Julian, could you write something about the effect of tea according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, especially with regards to the different types of teas?

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What does traditional Chinese medicine say about the herbal tea health benefits and its uses?

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