Tea is the most consumed beverage in the world after water. Brewed and enjoyed in many ways the world over, it is safe to say that everyone knows about tea in some way. Despite how prevalent tea is in many cultures, many people do not know that not all tea is actually tea. Real tea comes from one plant, Camellia sinensis – sometimes called the Tea plant. Although there are some more niche variations of real tea, the main categories are Green, White, Oolong, Black, and Pu-erh. Outside of these types of tea, everything else would be considered either an Herbal tea or Tisane depending on who you ask. Distinctions aside, most people will generally think of any infusion of herbal, floral, or earthy ingredients with water as tea. In fact, all around the world people have been using different infusions of ingredients for all sorts of purposes for about as long as we have been around. Whether it contains tea leaves or not, teas have been used around the world for medicine and health benefits, pleasure, and celebration.

Division of the types of tea comes from a couple different factors, but the simplest to understand is by their levels of oxidation. As a tea leaf becomes more oxidized, it starts to change not only in color but also in flavor. This coupled with some differences in preparation techniques results in the vast world of tea flavors that we know and love today.

The lowest levels of oxidation are Green, White, and Pu-erh, these vary a little bit depending on the tea but in general these are made to be much closer to the leaf fresh off the stem. This sets their oxidation levels usually between 1-10% depending on the tea, although white tea will slowly oxidize more over time as it ages. Specific flavors and nuances will differ depending on tea type and the farmer, but generally these are closer to a fresh leaf in flavor and appearance. Next, we will talk about Black tea, because it is on the opposite end of the oxidation spectrum. Black tea is around 80% oxidized and up, giving it a generally darker and earthier flavor and appearance. Oolong is the in-between, having a large range of oxidation states that go anywhere between about 20%-80%. Because of this, it is also very diverse in its flavor profiles and preferences.

The main difference among Green, White, and Pu-erh is in how they are crafted after being picked. More in depth information about the creation of each tea can be found below. Essentially, you can think of Green tea as being the standard here since it is the oldest and therefore most traditional. White and Pu-erh just change the recipe around to try and achieve a different outcome. White tea forgoes most of the processing leaving it more "raw" and Pu-erh is is crafted to be aged and kept for longer. These are all generalizations of course but are a slim summary of the main differences.