True Teas: All from One Bush (Camellia sinensis)

Currently, there is only one type of tea bush, the Chinese tea plant (Camellia sinensis). This is sometimes further divided into the sinensis variety (darker leaves, subtropical region) and the assamica variety (lighter leaves, tropical region).

The difference between tea types does not lie in the plant, but in a key process called oxidation (often mistakenly referred to as fermentation).

1. White Tea

• Characteristics: The most delicate and least processed tea. Only undeveloped buds and the youngest leaves are harvested, often covered with a silvery fluff.
• Processing: Only wilting and drying, without any mechanical disturbance. It undergoes minimal, spontaneous oxidation.
• Taste and Aroma: Very light, delicate, sweet, with notes of honey and flowers.
• Preparation: Requires lower water temperature (around 60–80 °C). Recommended steeping time is 2–5 minutes when using a larger amount of leaves.

2. Green Tea

• Characteristics: One of the most popular types, renowned for its health benefits and high antioxidant content.
• Processing: Immediately after harvest, it is heat-treated (by steaming - Japanese style, or by roasting in pans - Chinese style) to stop the oxidation of enzymes. This is followed by rolling and drying.
• Taste and Aroma: Fresh, grassy, ​​vegetal, sometimes slightly nutty or sweet.
• Preparation: It is sensitive to temperature, usually 70–85 °C, so as not to become bitter. It is steeped very briefly, only 1–3 minutes.

3. Yellow Tea

• Characteristics: A rare and exclusive type of tea, historically reserved for the emperor.
• Processing: Similar to green tea, but with an added step called "covering" or "yellowing", where the leaves are wrapped in a damp cloth and allowed to slowly steam.
• Taste and Aroma: Smooth, mild, with less grassy notes than green tea and a characteristic sweet, slightly buttery flavor.
• Preparation: Pour water at 80-85 °C and let steep for 2-4 minutes.

4. Oolong

• Characteristics: A tea "halfway" between green and black tea. It is a work of art that requires the highest skill of the processors.
• Processing: It undergoes partial and controlled oxidation, which is stopped at a certain stage. The level of oxidation ranges from 8% to 80%. It is then rolled into balls or spindles.
• Taste and Aroma: Incredibly diverse. From light and floral (closer to green teas) to full, roasted and fruity (closer to black teas).
• Preparation: The temperature should be between 85-95 °C and the steeping time 2-5 minutes.

5. Black Tea

• Characteristics: The most popular type of tea in the Western world. It is a fully oxidized tea.
• Processing: Harvesting, withering, rolling (disturbing the cell structure to release the juice), full oxidation (enzymes react with oxygen in the air, causing the leaves to darken and acquire a typical flavor), and finally drying.
• Taste and Aroma: Full, robust, with notes of malt, honey, spices, sometimes chocolate or caramel.
• Preparation: Tolerates and often requires almost boiling water at 85-95 °C. Steep for 3-5 minutes depending on the desired strength of the infusion.

6. Pu-Erh

• Characteristics: The only tea that matures and gains value with age (similar to wine).
• Processing: Undergoes secondary fermentation (microbial activity) after drying, either naturally (raw Pu-erh, sheng) or artificially accelerated (boiled Pu-erh, shou).
• Taste and Aroma: Deep, earthy, with notes of forest soil, wood and damp hay.
• Note: Often pressed into cakes or bricks. Pour almost boiling water 85-95 °C. After a quick rinse of the tea, the recommended steeping time is from 30 seconds to 5 minutes (often intended for many short infusions).

"Fake" Teas - Herbal and Fruit Drinks

Even though they are not made from the tea plant, we colloquially consider them to be tea. They often do not contain caffeine (or theine). They are therefore suitable for drinking before bed, unlike real teas, which always have some amount of caffeine or theine.

Rooibos: It comes from an African bush (Aspalathus linearis). It has a red color of infusion, is sweet and fruity. It is rich in minerals and is also great for children.

Mate: A drink of South American Indians from the Paraguayan holly (Ilex paraguariensis). It contains caffeine and has stimulating effects. The taste is strong, smoky, slightly bitter.

Herbal Teas: Infusions of single or mixed herbs (mint, chamomile, lemon balm, etc.). They are usually poured with almost boiling water at 95 °C and steeped for 5–10 minutes.

Fruit Teas: Blends of dried fruit (rosehip, apple, hibiscus) and other plant parts. They are usually poured with almost boiling water at 95 °C and steeped for 5–10 minutes or more.

The journey to tea

From delicate white tea, to fresh green, floral Oolong, to robust black tea – the world of real tea is a journey worth taking. The basic division according to the degree of oxidation helps us understand why tea from a single plant has such an infinite number of forms.

The secret lies in the processing: While coffee gets its flavor from roasting the beans, tea gets its uniqueness from precisely controlling the oxidation of the leaf.

Whether you prefer an invigorating black tea for breakfast or a soothing herbal infusion before bed, every cup is an opportunity for a little moment of well-being.

Cheers to tea!