Teastyle

The 6 Main Tea Types

There are 6 main categories of tea. All tea is made from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis. The difference of each tea is garnered from the distinct processes that it goes through. Technically speaking, Herbal teas are not considered actual teas and are called "Tisanes".

The 6 main tea types are as follows:

• Black Tea
• Green Tea
• Oolong Tea
• Yellow Tea
• Pu'er Tea
• White Tea

Below is a quick table that will help you learn which tea goes through which processes.

Processes	White	Black and Ooolong	Pu'er	Green	Yellow
Plucking	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Withering	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Fixing	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Rolling	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Oxidation	No	Yes	No	No	No
Fermentation	No	No	Yes	No	No
Firing/Drying	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Sorting	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes