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The Most Popular Types of Tea: A Complete Guide

Do you know all there is to know about tea? Hoping to learn more about this unique and timeless drink?

Tea is hardly a new creation and there’s a reason why it’s lasted throughout the ages. Tea is not only enjoyable to drink but also offers a variety of health benefits as well. There are also many varieties that you can choose from.

If you want to learn more about tea, read on. In this guide, we’ll tell you about the most popular types of tea.

Green Tea

One of the most common types of tea is green tea.

Made from the tea plant, green tea tends to have a yellow or light green appearance once it has been brewed. The tea contains a small amount of caffeine and there are many different varieties that you can choose from.

Green tea isn’t oxidized fully and undergoes a very minimal production process. The tea leaves will be plucked and harvested by hand and will be dried through pan-firing or steaming.

The flavor of green tea is usually very earthy and grassy, although there are a variety of different variations of green tea. Green tea is also known to have many antioxidants that some believe offer significant health benefits to drinkers.

If you want to buy green tea or another type of tea, you may want to check out New Mexico Tea Company.

Black Tea

Black tea is a common type of tea that many people are familiar with.

Unlike with green tea, when making black tea, the tea leaves will be left to oxidize fully. Only then will they be dried. The tea will also be rolled and kneaded with care and this will bring out stronger flavors and chocolate and fruity tones. The color of black tea once brewed tends to be much darker than green tea.

There are many different varieties of black tea and they tend to be higher in caffeine than green tea. Black tea, however, still only has about half of the amount of caffeine that’s in coffee.

Some popular types of black tea include English Breakfast and Darjeeling tea along with stronger types such as Lapsang Souchong. Black tea is one of the most popular types of tea and people often drink it both hot and iced.

Oolong Tea

Oolong tea is another type of tea that you should know about.

Oolong teas are considered semi-oxidized and are more time-consuming to create than other types of teas. Many people think of the oolong tea process as being somewhere between the processes for making green tea and black tea. Oolong teas may be oxidized between 8% and 80%. The flavor and smell of these teas can vary quite a bit.

Oolong tea takes skill to make since the process is very involved and the processes for different types of oolong tea are varied. Oolong tea is mostly produced in China and Taiwan.

Some of the popular types of oolong tea include Phoenix Oolong Tea, High Mountain Oolong Tea, and Milk Oolong Tea.

White Tea

White tea is a type of tea that is processed only a very small amount and that is also very popular around the world.

White tea makes use of young buds and leaves. Tea leaves will be air-dried in direct sunlight and will have only light oxidation.

White tea has a mild and subtle flavor and is lighter than many other types of tea. It may have light floral, fruity, or nutty notes. It also tends to be very low in caffeine.

White tea tends to come mostly from the Fujian Province in China and there are many varieties that are popular. White Peony, Silver Needle, Long Life Eyebrow, and Tribute Eyebrow are among some of the most popular varieties of white teas that are available.

Pu-erh Tea

Fermented and aged teas are also fairly common as well. Among the most common of these fermented teas is Pu-erh tea.

Pu-erh tea is aged and partially fermented. The tea is similar to black tea in some ways and also has a full-bodied flavor and is high in caffeine. The tea has a full flavor that features woody and earthy tones.

The main types of Pu-erh teas include Raw Pu-erh and Ripe Pu-erh tea. 

The initial processing of Raw Pu-erh tea is similar to that of green tea. After the tea leaves have dried, the tea goes through a fermentation process. The oxidation process of this tea may last anywhere from 1-50 years and it will bring out the flavor of the tea more and more over time.

Ripe Pu-erh tea is similar, but the process will be sped up with the promotion of microorganism growth to ferment the tea. 

Herbal Tea

While the other teas on this list are made with leaves from the tea plant, there are other teas that are made a bit differently. Herbal teas are infused with boiling water and are made from various other plants, herbs, spices, and roots.

These teas are very popular and will often be drunk either as a hot drink or as iced tea. There is a wide range of flavors that can be found in herbal teas and there is something for everyone. From spicy teas to floral and fruity teas, there’s a lot of variety when choosing herbal teas.

Some of the most popular types of herbal teas include lavender tea, chamomile tea, peppermint tea, chamomile tea, lemon balm tea, hibiscus tea, ginger tea. However, there are a lot more options to choose from as well.

Drinking the Most Popular Types of Tea

If you’ve been wondering how tea works and what kinds of tea there are, you should now have a basic understanding of it. These are the most popular types of tea, so be sure to try them for yourself sometime.

Are you interested in learning more about drinking tea? Learn more by browsing our blog now.