Types of Tea: A Simplified Full Guide

Black Tea

It is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white and green tea, black tea typically possesses stronger flavor. All five types come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis shrub, with the rare use of Camellia taliensis as well.

Black tea contains 50-80 caffeine per 8-ounce(230ml)

Earl Grey Tea – is a tea blend flavored with bergamot oil where bergamot gives a unique taste and joy to tea. Today many Earl Grey teas use artificial bergamot flavor.

English Breakfast Tea – is a traditional blend of black teas originating from Assam, Ceylon, and Kenya. The Assam is malty and bitter, the Ceylon piney and sour, the Kenyan fruity and floral. British and Irish tea culture highly favors it as one of their most popular blended teas.

Assam Tea – is a black tea from the Assam region in India, boasts bold and malty flavors. It pairs well with milk and sugar.

Lapsang Souchong Tea – a black tea from Fujian Province, China, features Camellia sinensis leaves smoke-dried over a pinewood fire. Considered one of the highest-quality black teas for those who enjoy strong flavors.

Ceylon Tea – is mainly produced on Sri Lanka. Ceylon tea is popular among tea enthusiasts for its rich flavor and fragrant aroma.

Turkish Tea – also known as Rize tea, originates from the Rize province in Turkey and is a type of black tea. Typically, it is full-flavored and too strong to be served in large cups, therefore, it’s always offered in small, tulip-shaped glasses.
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Green Tea

Originating from China, it derives from Camellia sinensis leaves and buds. Unlike black and oolong teas, green tea goes through less withering and oxidation process resulting in less caffeine level.

Caffeine level about 20-60 mg per 8-ounce (230-ml)

White Tea

White tea, like black and green tea, comes from the Camellia sinensis plant and it is one of the most delicate tea varieties because it undergoes very minimal processing.

Caffeine level 6-45mg per 8-ounce(230ml)

Yellow Tea

Yellow tea can refer to Chinese huángchá and Korean hwangcha, is  more processed than white and green teas, but less processed than black tea, making it one of those teas that you hardly ever find in a non-specialist tea shop as its production is limited to very small quantities.

Caffeine level 30-70mg per 8-ounce(230ml)

Red(rooibos) Tea

Rooibos, or Aspalathus linearis, is a member of the plant family Fabaceae that grows in South Africa’s fynbos biome. The leaves are used to make a herbal tea that is called rooibos or red tea. Rooibos is a herbal tea and is not related to black or green tea. Traditional rooibos is created by fermenting the leaves, which turns them a red-brown color. Contains zero caffeine.

Herbal Tea

Herbal teas involve infusing or decocting herbs, spices, or other plant materials in hot water to create a beverage. People often refer to them as ‘herb tea’ or simply ‘tea,’ encompassing a variety of herbal infusions. Herbal medicine commonly utilizes many of these herbs. Contains zero caffeine.

Oolong Tea

Oolong teas originate from China, share some characteristics with both green and black teas – they have light flavor notes but are often more complex in taste than green teas, but not as strong as black teas.

Caffeine level 20-70mg per 8-ounce(230ml)

Pu-erh Tea

Yunnan Province in China traditionally produces Pu-erh, a variety of fermented tea. Producers apply fermentation to the tea leaves after sufficient drying and rolling. Unlike black teas, which undergo oxidation during production, Pu-erh does not.

Caffeine level 30-80mg per 8-ounce(230ml)

Chai Tea

Masala chai is a popular beverage throughout South Asia, originating in the early modern Indian subcontinent. To make Chai, brew black tea (typically Assam) in milk and water, and then sweeten it with sugar. Often prepared with spices and other complimentary ingredients.

Caffeine level 40-50mg per 8-ounce(230ml)

Matcha Tea

Matcha, a finely ground powder, comes from specially grown and processed green tea leaves originally from China, now predominantly produced in Japan. Traditionally consumed in East Asia, Matcha involves using green tea plants that growers shade for three to four weeks before harvest. After harvesting, they remove the stems and veins. During this shaded growth period, the Camellia sinensis plant increases its production of theanine and caffeine.

Caffeine level 60-80mg per 8-ounce(230ml)

Mate Tea

Mate or maté is a traditional South American caffeine-rich herbal drink. Yerba mate tea, originating in the territory of the Guarani people (now parts of Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia, Southern Brazil, and Uruguay), involves soaking dried Ilex paraguariensis leaves in hot water. Traditionally, people serve it with a metal straw, known as a bombilla, in a container usually crafted from a calabash gourd, also referred to as the mate. Tastes like a tea, invigorates like a coffee.

Caffeine level 70-90mg per 8-ounce(230ml)