Types of tea

Tea comes in so many varieties. For your convenience, we have put a short explanation on this page about the different types of tea and tea-like drinks.

Tea = Tea

Tea is the product of the tea plant: camellia sinensis. Actually, all other drinks, such as rooibos, fruit tea, herbal tea, etc. are not real tea. For simplicity we call them tea.

Another name for non-tea is also called infusion. But tea is just as much an infusion as non-tea. Infusion only means that fragrances, colors and flavors have been dissolved in water by bringing the ingredients into contact with water for a shorter or longer period of time.

So that is why we also use the term tea for herbal tea, fruit tea, etc.

Real tea

The tea from the real tea bushes camelia sinensis sinensis and camelia sinensis assamica can be processed in many ways. There are endless variations because every tea farmer/producer has his own methods and tricks of the trade.

To bring some clarity, there are 6 main types.

Black tea

Traditionally the most drunk in the west. Although green tea is also very popular now.
The leaf of black tea is generally black in color. Hence the name. This color is created because the tea leaf oxidizes during the production process. This is a process that resembles the decay of green leaves on the compost heap: the substances in the leaf react with oxygen.
Black tea often has a fuller flavor than green tea.

Green tea

To prevent the green leaves from oxidizing after picking, as is the case with black tea, green tea is briefly heated. This keeps the leaf green.
Green tea is usually a bit more subtle in flavor than black tea. It contains just as much caffeine as black tea, although many people don't think so.

White tea

White tea is very popular. Characteristic of white tea is that it is virtually unprocessed. The leaves are picked and dried. That is it.
There are variations. You can pick leaf buds, or a bud and a leaf, or a bud and 2 leaves, etc. Terroir, or the soil and climate conditions, and the variety of the tea plant, are important for white tea since the processing of the leaves is nil.

Yellow tea

A somewhat exotic variety that you don't come across very often. If you put green tea in a bag for a while and let it sweat at moderate heat, yellow tea is created.

Oolong (or wulong) tea

Oolong tea is partially oxidized tea and is in between black and green tea. There are very beautiful and exciting varieties of oolong that you see more and more on the market. Oolong can be relatively green, but also dark if the leaf is, for example, 75% oxidized. Often the leaf is rolled and bruised a lot.
Flavors of oolong vary. Sweet floral and fruity aromas are common.

Post-fermented tea

This tea is widely produced in the Chinese province of Yunnan. After the green tea is heated, the green leaf is allowed to ferment. This is a natural process without oxygen, which also occurs when making tempeh, soy sauce and kombucha, for example. Earthy notes are released and, depending on the degree of fermentation and maturation, a wealth of aromas.
Our Pu Erh tea is fermented at an accelerated rate. It's called "cooked pu erh". The method popular in China is that of the "raw pu erh". This tea is then pressed into teacakes: round cakes of tea leaf that are left to ripen for a long time, sometimes for years.

Rooibos

Not real tea, but tasty! Rooibos has a mild taste and a red color. Hence the name. This native plant from South Africa is one of a kind and is found nowhere else in the world. The leaves of the rooibos plant have the shape of needles and are pounded after picking and dried in the sun. During drying, oxidation takes place, whereby the rooibos turns red-brown.

In South Africa, rooibos has been used for thousands of years as a remedy for skin problems. More importantly for us, rooibos gives a soft tea-like drink that contains no caffeine and almost no tannin. As a result, the taste is mild and not bitter. It is also great to drink before going to sleep.
However, rooibos is rich in minerals and vitamin C, which is why people attribute rooibos to a healthy effect.
Some people find rooibos a bit burning, which can be solved by first rinsing the rooibos briefly, throwing away the water and then letting it steep longer.

Rooibos is pure and only slightly oxidized (green rooibos). But it is widely used as a basis for all kinds of additives. The mild rooibos lends itself perfectly to sweet additions such as caramel, but is also very popular for making caffeine-free Chai Latte (Rooibos Chai).
In addition to rooibos, there is also honey forest. The plant honeybush (or heuningbos) is related to the rooibos but has a sweeter taste.

Herbal tea

Herbs and spices have been used to prepare drinks for centuries. Often combined with fruits to give the blends more depth and a sweet touch. If you are sensitive to caffeine, a herbal/fruit blend is often a good alternative.
Although there are of course other plants than the coffee and tea plant that contain caffeine. Think, for example, of cocoa beans and maté.

Fruit tea

The variety of fruit teas is endless. Pure fruit combines well with the delicious flavors of ginger, hibiscus and licorice.
And it's healthy too. No artificial sweeteners are used in our fruit blends. However, some varieties also contain candied pieces of fruit, where sugar has been used.

Because this category does not contain leaves of the Camelia plant (= tea plant), you cannot actually speak of tea. Pure fruit blends therefore do not contain caffeine.