{"id":223,"date":"2011-03-10T21:14:02","date_gmt":"2011-03-11T02:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/teageek.org\/?p=223"},"modified":"2011-03-10T21:14:02","modified_gmt":"2011-03-11T02:14:02","slug":"green-black-red-whats-the-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/archive\/teageek\/\/2011\/03\/10\/green-black-red-whats-the-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"Green, Black, Red – What’s the difference?!?"},"content":{"rendered":"
The most common questions I get from people are about the different kinds of tea. What is the difference between green and black tea? What is white tea? Have you ever heard of red tea?\u00a0 It seems to be a fairly universal question, so I thought I would try to tackle it.\u00a0\u00a0 Below is a summary of some of\u00a0 the most common types of tea: black, oolong, green, white, herbal, red, and mate.<\/p>\n
Before I get into the types of tea, I should probably explain the difference between “true” tea and herbal teas (tisanes).\u00a0 All of the “true” teas (black, oolong, green, white) come from the same plant: camellia sinensis<\/a>.\u00a0 That’s usually pretty surprising to people given the differences in look, smell, and especially taste of the different types, but its true!\u00a0 What separates the types of tea is how they are harvested and processed, as well the area they are grown in.\u00a0 With that out of the way, here we go:<\/p>\n This is probably what most people think of when they picture tea.\u00a0 It makes a dark brown, slightly reddish, liquid when brewed, and is the tea with the highest caffeine content.\u00a0\u00a0 It is the most heavily processed (oxidized) of the traditional teas and is the usual culprit for many people associating tea with a bitter aftertaste.\u00a0 It typically has dark, roasted, or earthy flavors, and is brewed at the highest temperature (\u2248212 degrees) of all of the teas. \u00a0 Because of its strength, it is often served with creme and sugar similar to coffee.\u00a0 It’s most popular in European countries, and is also probably the most popular in the US. It’s other claim to fame is that it is traditionally used as the base for most iced tea.\u00a0 Popular varieties you may have heard of are Earl Grey<\/a> and English Breakfast<\/a>.<\/p>\n Oolong tea is relatively unknown in the West compared to the other teas, although it has gained some ground with its reputation as a “slimming tea” that helps with weight loss.\u00a0 It is also oxidized in preparation, although the amount of processing varies greatly based on the variety.\u00a0 It typically will have a blend of the grassy sweet flavors of green tea with the darker roasted flavors of black tea, with one or the other coming through stronger based on how long it was processed.\u00a0 It is prepared between 180 and 212 degrees, and has a moderate amount of caffeine.<\/p>\n Green tea is a relatively well known tea.\u00a0 If has a moderate amount of caffeine, and gets its name from the color of its leaves as well as the brewed liquid, which varies from green to a light greenish yellow.\u00a0 It is very popular in Asian countries and there are a multitude of varieties.\u00a0 It’s taste is typically a smooth, grassy, slightly sweet flavor and it is often paired with fruit.\u00a0 It is prepared at a moderate temperature (\u2248180 degrees) typically for between 3-5 minutes.<\/p>\n Another of the lesser known teas, white tea is the least caffeinated and is also processed the least.\u00a0 White tea comes from the youngest buds and leaves of the tea plant. It gets its name from the young buds which often still have silver-white hair on them, which are not seen on other teas. White tea has very subtle flavors, often lightly sweet or grassy. Like green tea, it is prepared at a lower temperature (170-180) but for a longer time (5-7 minutes) than green.<\/p>\nBlack Tea<\/h2>\n
Oolong Tea<\/h2>\n
Green Tea<\/h2>\n
White Tea<\/h2>\n
Herbal Tea<\/h2>\n