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Matcha green tea powder, chasen whisk and bowl

Matcha (Powdered Tea)

Matcha is a style of finely ground Japanese green tea. The tea plants used to create the powder are grown shaded for three to four weeks. During processing, the stems and veins are removed and the leaves are ground using granite stone mills. While loose leaf tea is infused in water and not directly consumed, matcha powder on the other hand is blended into water or milk and therefore directly consumed.

Gyokuro green tea loose leaves in clay jar

Gyokuro (Jade Dew)

Gyokuro is a style of Japanese green tea. It grows shaded for approx. three to four weeks instead of under the full sun. Gyokuro is often made from specialized cultivars like Asahi, Okumidori, Yamakai, and Saemidori and considered one of the highest grades of Japanese green tea. The name translates to “jade dew” because of the pale green color.

Bancha green tea loose leaves

Bancha (Common Tea)

Bancha is a style of Japanese green tea. It is harvested from the second flush of Sencha between summer and autumn. Compared to Sencha, it is a lower quality and simpler tea for everyday drinking.

Pu'er dark tea pressed leaves as tea cake

Dark tea is a microbially fermented type of tea. The fermentation continues several months to many years and the leaves are often pressed in cake or brick shapes. The most famous dark tea is Pu’er from Yunnan, China.

Mengding huang cha yellow tea loose leaves in gaiwan

Yellow tea is a rare and expensive type of tea with a low oxidation. The processing is similar to that of a green tea but with an additional step of keeping the leaves in a hot environment. This leads to a more mellow taste and yellowish colored leaves. The tea is mainly produced in China and Korea.

Tie guan yin loose leaf oolong tea balls on bamboo basket

Oolong tea is a semi-oxidized type of tea ranging from approx. 10 to 80% oxidation. Being more oxidized than green tea and less oxidized than black tea it is often describes as an in-between type of tea. Due to the great range of oxidation, oolong teas have a widely varying flavor profile including sweet, fruity, honey, woody, thick, roasted, green and fresh notes. The leaves undergo the most complex production process of all tea types. It includes plucking opened buds, withering under the sun, bruising to start and heating to stop the oxidation, shaping into a strip or half-ball shape, drying and roasting. Originating in China, many oolong styles, especially ones from the Wuyi mountains, hold the Chinese famous tea title.

Matcha green tea powder, chasen whisk and bowl

Matcha (Powdered Tea)

Matcha is a style of finely ground Japanese green tea. The tea plants used to create the powder are grown shaded for three to four weeks. During processing, the stems and veins are removed and the leaves are ground using granite stone mills. While loose leaf tea is infused in water and not directly consumed, matcha powder on the other hand is blended into water or milk and therefore directly consumed.

Gyokuro green tea loose leaves in clay jar

Gyokuro (Jade Dew)

Gyokuro is a style of Japanese green tea. It grows shaded for approx. three to four weeks instead of under the full sun. Gyokuro is often made from specialized cultivars like Asahi, Okumidori, Yamakai, and Saemidori and considered one of the highest grades of Japanese green tea. The name translates to “jade dew” because of the pale green color.

Bancha green tea loose leaves

Bancha (Common Tea)

Bancha is a style of Japanese green tea. It is harvested from the second flush of Sencha between summer and autumn. Compared to Sencha, it is a lower quality and simpler tea for everyday drinking.

Pu'er dark tea pressed leaves as tea cake

Dark tea is a microbially fermented type of tea. The fermentation continues several months to many years and the leaves are often pressed in cake or brick shapes. The most famous dark tea is Pu’er from Yunnan, China.

Mengding huang cha yellow tea loose leaves in gaiwan

Yellow tea is a rare and expensive type of tea with a low oxidation. The processing is similar to that of a green tea but with an additional step of keeping the leaves in a hot environment. This leads to a more mellow taste and yellowish colored leaves. The tea is mainly produced in China and Korea.

Tie guan yin loose leaf oolong tea balls on bamboo basket

Oolong tea is a semi-oxidized type of tea ranging from approx. 10 to 80% oxidation. Being more oxidized than green tea and less oxidized than black tea it is often describes as an in-between type of tea. Due to the great range of oxidation, oolong teas have a widely varying flavor profile including sweet, fruity, honey, woody, thick, roasted, green and fresh notes. The leaves undergo the most complex production process of all tea types. It includes plucking opened buds, withering under the sun, bruising to start and heating to stop the oxidation, shaping into a strip or half-ball shape, drying and roasting. Originating in China, many oolong styles, especially ones from the Wuyi mountains, hold the Chinese famous tea title.

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Pu'er tea is a style of dark tea that's grown in the Yunnan province of China. It’s named after the city of Pu'er. This tea is mainly categorized as a dark tea (black tea is the direct translation from Chinese) that goes through fermentation during and/or after its processing. Fermentation refers to the microbial activity which is typically happening or purposely initiated after the tea leaves have been sufficiently dried and rolled. Pu'er can be divided into two main categories, shēng, and shóu pu'er. They differ based on the kind of fermentation that takes place in or after their processing. In its final form pu'er is usually pressed in cakes or bricks, which can weigh 100g to 5kg, while 357g is the most common cake weight.

Oolong tea is a semi-oxidized type of tea ranging from approx. 10 to 80% oxidation. Being more oxidized than green tea and less oxidized than black tea it is often describes as an in-between type of tea. Due to the great range of oxidation, oolong teas have a widely varying flavor profile including sweet, fruity, honey, woody, thick, roasted, green and fresh notes. The leaves undergo the most complex production process of all tea types. It includes plucking opened buds, withering under the sun, bruising to start and heating to stop the oxidation, shaping into a strip or half-ball shape, drying and roasting. Originating in China, many oolong styles, especially ones from the Wuyi mountains, hold the Chinese famous tea title.

Jasmine tea is a scented green tea style that involves either firing the jasmine blossoms or blending the blossoms into green tea to bind the sweet, floral scent to the leaves. It is a staple in Chinese culture and is one of the most enjoyed green tea styles in the genre. While green tea is the usual base for this tea, black and white tea styles exist as well.

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A tea style is a specific tea unique by specific processing, a specific cultivar and a specific terroir. Each tea type has hundreds if not thousands of different styles. For instance, Long Jing is a style of the type green tea.

There are six types of tea: White tea, green tea, yellow tea, oolong tea, black tea and dark tea. While all tea types are made from the tea plant camellia sinensis, they are distinguished by differences in the processing of the leaves.