What is the difference between all the kinds of tea?

Question: What is the difference between all the kinds of tea?

Answer: Ironically, with all the different varieties of tea available, they all come from the same plant (Camellia sinensis). The differences come from the processing. In particular, the amount of fermentation that the leaves undergo.

• Black - fully fermented
• Oolong - partly fermented
• Green - no fermentation
• White - also not fermented, but these tea leaves are picked from newer buds, making it different from green tea.

Herbal teas and rooibos tea are NOT true teas, as they come from different plant sources.

You can see photos of these varieties in my photo tutorial on tea.