Diane does a short video http://bit.ly/2tHSe17 on the 5 types of tea, but there is another type you probably won’t taste:  Yellow tea.  In China, yellow tea is so popular that not much actually gets to tea drinkers in other parts of the world.  But, in this video, we cover the 5 major types, and they are all readily available!

The first is white tea, which is the freshest, newest leaves, plucked and left to dry/wither.  It is minimally oxidized, and sometimes called unoxidized tea. The second type, green tea’s oxidation process is stopped by heat, either steam or pan-firing.   Depending on the process, it will taste vegetal and almost ‘grassy’ or warm and roasty.

Of the 5 types of tea, one of the most complex processes is the semi-oxidized oolong type.  There are a number of ways oolong is processed, which give this type a wide variety of choices in taste and amount of oxidation.   Fourth, black tea is fully oxidized and has a stronger flavor than less oxidized tea.  And fifth, and perhaps most interesting and least known, is puerh.  Puerh is microbially fermented and can be purchased in pressed cakes or as loose leaf.  It contains less caffeine than other tea types, and has such a smooth, complex flavor it has been compared to wine.

Each type of tea has its’ own brewing indications as well.  White and green teas are delicate and should be steeped at lower temperature and for less time.  Excessive temperature or long steeps can result in poor infusions and green tea can become bitter.  Oolongs are known for their multiple steeps, as many are tightly wound and give more flavor with 2nd or 3rd infusions as the leaf unwinds.  Black tea is the most popular tea in the United States, with 80+% of all tea sold in the U.S. being black and then another 80% or so being iced tea sales.  Puerh is not nearly as well known in this country, although it has a cultic following that enjoys the rich, complex, earthy, fermented flavor.  Old cakes of puerh can be as valuable as aged fine wine.

Enjoy all of the 5 types of tea.  On our website here, we have two great selections of Puerh which are flavored puerhs, and perfect for anyone wanting to enjoy this interesting tea.  They are listed under Black Tea category here: http://bit.ly/2qGwYaS