Types of Tea

There is so many different types of tea and yet they all come from the same plant known as Camellia Sinensis, how the tea leaves are processed determines the type of tea.

The taste of the tea itself on the other hand is different story. It is determined by many factors. Like wine, it is influenced by the environmental conditions of the region in which it is grown, such as climate, soil and altitude. So an Oolong tea from say China will be very different from Oolong tea grown and processed in Japan or Taiwan. Likewise for English tasting black tea that are grown and processed in Sri Lanka will taste different from that of Cameron Highlands tea.

There are four major types of tea:

Black tea: The leaves are allowed to ferment fully before being dried. It has a robust and full-bodied flavour, and goes well with milk. Black tea is also known as Ceylon or English tea. Boh Tea is an example of black tea. Other popular kinds of black tea include Earl Grey, English Breakfast and Darjeeling.

Oolong: The tea is semi-fermented and rolled lightly until it turns red, then dried over a fire. After brewing, the tea is usually light brown-red in colour. It is usually drunk without milk or sugar. Most Chinese teas are Oolong teas. Shui Xian, Pouchong and Alishan are some well-known varieties of Oolong tea.

Green tea: This is unfermented tea which is withered, steamed, and then dried. It retains a distinctive green colour and has a delicate flavour with a slight tang. The most well-known form of green tea is Japanese tea. Gunpowder, Green Pekoe and Sencha are some of the popular varieties.

White tea: White tea comes from tightly rolled buds of tea. It does not go through any fermentation; instead, the leaves are immediately fired or steamed after withering. There is also no rolling involved. Types of white tea include Silver Needle, White Peony and Darjeeling White.

Sourced from www.boh.com.my and www.2basnob.com