Types of tea

Tea comes in so many varieties. For convenience, we have provided a brief explanation on this page about the different types of tea and tea-like beverages.

Tea = Tea

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

Another name for non-tea is infusion. But tea is just as much an infusion as non-tea. Infusion simply means that aromatic, coloring, and flavoring substances are dissolved in water by bringing the ingredients into contact with water for a shorter or longer period.

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

Real tea

Tea from the real tea bushes camellia sinensis sinensis and camellia sinensis assamica can be processed in many ways. There are endless variations because every tea grower/producer has their 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. That is a process similar to the decay of green leaves on the compost heap: the substances in the leaf react with oxygen. Black tea is often fuller in flavor than green tea.
And of course, black tea combines perfectly with all kinds of aromas, flowers, herbs, and fruits. You can find those in the flavored black tea.

Green tea

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

Green tea is also an excellent base for all kinds of aromas: that is why we have collected the flavored green tea on a separate page.

White tea

Very much on the rise is white tea. What is characteristic of white tea is that it is almost 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 do not come across much. 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 sits between black and green tea. There are very beautiful and exciting types of oolong that you see more and more on the market. Oolong can be relatively green but also dark when the leaf is, for example, 75% oxidized. Often the leaf is rolled and crushed a lot.
Oolong flavors vary. Sweet floral and fruity aromas are very common.

Post-fermented tea

In the Chinese province of Yunnan, this tea is produced in large quantities. After the green tea is heated, the green leaf is allowed to ferment. That is a natural process without oxygen, which also occurs in the making of, for example, tempeh, soy sauce, and kombucha. Earthy notes are released and, depending on the degree of fermentation and aging, a richness of aromas.
Our Pu Erh tea is accelerated fermented. That is called "cooked pu erh". The popular method in China is that of the "raw pu erh". This tea is then pressed into tea cakes: round cakes of tea leaves that are aged for a long time, sometimes years.

Rooibos

Not real tea but delicious! Rooibos is mild in flavor and has a red color. Hence the name. This indigenous plant from South Africa is unique in its kind and is found nowhere else in the world. The leaves of the rooibos plant have the shape of needles and are crushed and dried in the sun after picking. During drying, oxidation takes place, whereby the rooibos becomes reddish-brown.

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

Rooibos is available pure and also only lightly oxidized (green rooibos). But it is used a lot as a base for all kinds of additions. The mild rooibos lends itself perfectly to sweet additions such as caramel but is also very popular to make caffeine-free Chai Latte with (Rooibos Chai).
Besides rooibos, there is also honeybush. The honeybush plant (or heuningbush) is related to rooibos but is sweeter in flavor.

Herbal tea

Herbs and spices have been used for centuries to prepare beverages. Often combined with fruits to give the blends a bit more depth and a sweet touch. If you are sensitive to caffeine, then a herb/fruit blend is often a good alternative. All caffeine-free herb, fruit, and rooibos blends we have collected on one page.
Of course, there are other plants besides the coffee and tea plant where caffeine is found. Think of, for example, cocoa beans and mate.

Fruit tea

The variation in fruit tea is endless. Pure fruit combines perfectly with the delicious flavors of ginger, hibiscus, and licorice.
And it is also healthy. For our fruit blends, no artificial sweeteners are used. However, some varieties also contain candied pieces of fruit, where sugar has been used.

Because this category contains no leaves from the Camellia plant (=tea plant), you actually cannot call it tea. Pure fruit blends therefore contain no caffeine.