Types of Tea

There are six types of tea, each defined by how the tea leaves are processed.

The tea plant is known by its Latin name Camellia sinensis. It has several botanical varieties and thousands of cultivars.

In theory, any type of tea can be made from any cultivar of the tea plant, depending on how the leaves are processed. In practice, however, cultivars are usually suited to specific tea types and are most often grown in particular regions.

For example, Meizhan is a tea cultivar typical of the Wuyi Mountains, most commonly used for producing oolong tea. However, tea producers often experiment — for instance, black tea can also be made from Meizhan.

Types of tea

Green Tea

Green tea is a non-oxidized tea with a fresh, grassy and lightly sweet flavor.

After a short withering period, the leaves are heated at high temperatures (up to 250 °C / 482 °F) to stop oxidation. They are then rolled — using various techniques that give the leaves different shapes — and finally dried.

Green tea is often marketed as especially healthy, although in reality all high-quality teas offer similar benefits. Many people end up drinking bitter, low-quality green tea, assuming it is healthy. In fact, good fresh green tea is delicate, with pleasant floral and fresh-cut grass notes and a gentle sweetness reminiscent of sugar peas.

Green tea is best enjoyed fresh — it keeps its flavor for about two years, although its sweetness begins to fade after around six months.

Black Tea

Black tea is a heavily oxidized tea with a rich, bold and often slightly sweet flavor.

After withering, the leaves are rolled to break their structure and release juices, which triggers oxidation. Once the desired level is reached, the leaves are dried with heat.

Black tea can maintain its quality for five years or more, and its flavor may even improve with time. Although it is often thought of as bitter, high-quality black tea is surprisingly smooth and complex. Depending on the cultivar and region, it may feature floral, fruity, caramelized sugar or even honey notes.

White Tea

White tea is minimally processed, with a delicate, elegant flavor that evolves over time.

After harvesting, the leaves are simply withered and dried — traditionally in the sun, though increasingly in climate-controlled environments. During withering, the leaves undergo slight natural oxidation, which is stopped by drying rather than heating.

This makes white tea suitable for long-term storage. Over time, its flavor develops from light floral notes to deeper honeyed and muscat-like tones.

White tea can be enjoyed fresh or aged. Aging is achieved by storing the tea for several years in suitable conditions (cool, dry environments with around 50–60% humidity), allowing slow natural oxidation. It is often sold in compressed forms  – tea cakes or other.

Because aged white tea is highly valued but takes time to develop, a newer style — browned white tea — has emerged, designed to mimic the effects of aging more quickly.

High-quality white tea is remarkably long-lasting — rather than losing its character, it continues to develop and gain depth over time.

Yellow Tea

Yellow tea is a rare and lightly oxidized tea with a soft, rounded flavor and no pronounced grassy notes.

Its processing is similar to green tea but includes an additional step. After heating, the leaves are kept warm and slightly moist, allowing them to oxidize gently and develop their characteristic yellow hue.

Traditionally, the warm leaves are wrapped for one to two days, creating a humid environment that softens the flavor. They are then dried at low temperatures, often over charcoal.

Yellow tea is produced in small quantities and remains relatively unknown outside China. Historically, it was reserved for emperors or given as a prestigious gift.

In taste, it is similar to green tea but smoother and less grassy. Depending on processing, it can sometimes resemble black tea.

Oolong Tea

Oolong tea is a partially oxidized tea that offers a wide variety of flavors and styles. It’s especially aromatic and leaves a long, pleasant aftertaste.

It sits between green and black tea, with oxidation levels ranging roughly from 10% to 80%. This results in teas that can be light and fresh or dark and rich.

Oolong tea has one of the most complex processing methods. After harvesting, the leaves are withered both in the sun and indoors, then repeatedly shaken — traditionally on bamboo trays or in rotating drums. This step gently bruises the leaf edges, promoting controlled oxidation while developing the tea’s characteristic floral and fruity notes.

Once the desired oxidation level is reached, the leaves are briefly heated to stop the process. They are then rolled, dried, and often roasted. Roasting can range from light to heavy and plays a major role in shaping the final flavor, adding nutty, caramelized or even lightly toasted notes. Some oolong teas are not roasted at all.

Dark Tea

Dark tea is a post-fermented tea with a deep, warm and earthy flavor.

This category includes all fermented teas (hei cha), including ripe pu-erh and raw pu-erh (sheng). 

Raw pu-erh is not fermented during production. After withering, heating, and rolling, the leaves are sun-dried and then slowly transform over time through natural aging. Its flavor evolves gradually, becoming smoother and more complex.

Young raw pu-erh often has layered floral and fruity notes with a noticeable bitterness and astringency, which softens over the years.

In contrast, fermented (ripe) teas undergo an accelerated fermentation process in warm, humid conditions, which can take several months. The leaves are then dried and often compressed into various shapes for aging and storage.

Fermented dark teas are known for their earthy, woody and autumn leaf notes, often accompanied by a gentle sweetness reminiscent of dried fruit, cocoa or spices. This flavor profile is not for everyone — much like aged cheeses, it is either deeply appreciated or not to one’s taste.

It is also worth noting that naming can be confusing: in China, what is known in the West as “black tea” is called “red tea,” while fermented teas are referred to as “black tea.” To avoid confusion, these are commonly called “dark teas” or “post-fermented teas” in English.

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