From Bush to Cup: The Story of Tea’s Origins, Flavors, and Benefits

Do all the different tea tastes ever make you feel confused? Well, there are only four kinds of tea: black tea, green tea, white tea, and oolong tea. All of these teas are made from the Camellia sinensis plant’s leaves. Other herbal beverages like chamomile tea, ginger tea, and red tea made from rooibos leaves are not tea because they don’t come from the tea plant.

Each kind of tea has its own flavor and health perks. The most popular type of tea in the West is black tea, which is made from tea leaves that have been highly oxidized. It has more caffeine than other teas but less coffee. Green tea is lightly oxidized and has been famous in China, Japan, and Korea for hundreds of years. It is known for its health benefits, like lowering cholesterol and avoiding cancer.

White tea is unusual and more expensive than other kinds of tea. It is made from young tea leaves that go through a long process of steaming or cooking, turning off the fermentation process, and drying. White tea has a light, sweet flavor and has the least amount of caffeine but the most cancer-fighting vitamins.

Oolong tea is a traditional Chinese tea with a unique flavor that comes from a long process of drying the tea leaves in the sun, oxidizing them lightly, cooling them, and then drying them again. It has a lighter taste than black tea but more flavor than green tea.

So, the next time you want to drink tea, keep in mind that there are only four kinds of tea. Each kind has its own taste and health benefits, so try them all and see which one you like best.