Here is a surprising fact: white, green, yellow, oolong, black and pu-erh are all made from the leaves of one and the same plant — Camellia sinensis. Every difference between types of tea arises from what happens to the leaf after picking: how much it is oxidised, how it is dried, rolled and fermented. To grasp this logic is to truly learn how to understand tea.
The key to everything is oxidation. When a leaf is bruised and left in the air, its enzymes react with oxygen, the leaf darkens and its flavour changes (like a cut apple). By controlling this process, a master produces completely different drinks. Let us arrange the types of tea by increasing oxidation.
White tea — almost untouched
White tea is the least processed. Young buds and leaves are simply withered and dried with almost no oxidation. Hence its delicate, soft, faintly sweet taste with a fine floral aroma. Famous varieties are Bai Hao Yin Zhen ("silver needles") and Bai Mu Dan ("white peony").
White tea must be brewed gently: water no hotter than 75-85°C, or its delicate flavour will scorch.
Green tea — arrested oxidation
Green tea is not oxidised at all: right after picking the leaf is heated — pan-fired (the Chinese tradition) or steamed (the Japanese one). The heat kills the enzymes and locks in the green colour and fresh, grassy taste.
- Chinese green (Long Jing, Bi Luo Chun) — pan-fired, with nutty, toasty notes.
- Japanese green (sencha, gyokuro) — steamed, with bright freshness and notes of sea and seaweed.
Green tea is brewed with water at 70-80°C. Boiling water makes it bitter and astringent.
Matcha — a story of its own
Matcha stands apart: it is Japanese powdered green tea. Tencha leaves are grown in the shade, dried and ground into an ultra-fine powder. Matcha is not steeped or strained but whisked directly into water, so you drink the leaf itself. Hence its intense flavour and high concentration of compounds.
Yellow tea — a rare step
Yellow tea is a rare, almost exclusive Chinese type. It is close to green but goes through an extra stage of "smothering under a damp cloth" (men huang), which softens the grassy sharpness and gives a mellow, rounded, slightly sweet taste. Because it is difficult to produce, genuine yellow tea is seldom found.
Oolong — the golden mean
Oolong is partially oxidised tea, occupying all the space between green and black. The oxidation of oolongs ranges roughly from 15 to 70 percent, so their flavours are incredibly diverse:
- Light oolongs (Tie Guan Yin) — lightly oxidised, floral, creamy, closer to green.
- Dark oolongs (Da Hong Pao, rock oolongs) — more oxidised and often roasted, with honeyed, woody, toasty notes.
Oolongs reward multiple infusions: the same leaf reveals new sides from steep to steep. Water around 85-95°C.
Black tea — full oxidation
What the West calls black tea the Chinese call "red" (hong cha). It is fully oxidised: the leaf darkens completely, giving a rich, strong, sometimes malty or fruity flavour. This includes Indian Assam and Darjeeling, Ceylon, Chinese Keemun and the smoked Lapsang Souchong. Black tea is brewed near boiling (90-100°C) for 3-5 minutes.
Pu-erh — fermentation and time
Pu-erh is in a class of its own: a post-fermented tea from Yunnan province. After basic processing the leaf undergoes microbial fermentation and ageing. There are two kinds:
- Sheng (raw) pu-erh — ages naturally over years and decades, mellowing with time.
- Shou (ripe) pu-erh — goes through an accelerated wet fermentation, giving a dark, earthy, smooth brew.
Pu-erh is often pressed into "cakes" and stored like wine, prized for its ageing. It is brewed with vigorous boiling water, frequently after a quick "rinse" of the leaf.
What about herbal "teas"?
An important nuance: chamomile, mint, rooibos, hibiscus and fruit infusions are not tea in the strict sense, since they contain no Camellia leaf. They are properly called herbal infusions or tisanes. Most are caffeine-free (apart from mate and a few others) and are brewed by their own rules, usually with boiling water and for longer.
Practice: how to brew
Remember one simple rule: the less oxidised the tea, the cooler the water and the shorter the time.
- White and green — 70-85°C, 1-3 minutes.
- Oolong — 85-95°C, many infusions possible.
- Black and pu-erh — 90-100°C, 3-5 minutes.
And do not leave the leaf in the water for ages "to make it stronger" — that extracts bitterness and astringent tannins, not flavour. Better to use more leaf and less time.
