Knowledge
->
->
Tea Classification
Tea leaf of the camellia sinensis plant

Tea Classification

Classification is the practice of grouping teas by similarities in the production process to understand relations, similarities and differences. Tea can be categorized in many ways, the most prominent way being the six tea types.

In the tea world, terms are often used inconsistently and interchangeably which can be confusing. At Steeped we use the following classification terms:

No items found.
No items found.
Table of Contents
Tea leaf of the camellia sinensis plant
No items found.
No items found.
No items found.

Variety

  • Definition: A variety of the tea plant
  • Example: Camellia sinensis var. sinensis
  • Scope: Four varieties:
  • Camellia sinensis var. sinensis
  • Camellia sinensis var. assamica
  • Camellia sinensis var. pubilimba
  • Camellia sinensis var. dehungensis
  • (Camellia sinensis var. parvifolia) → Not clearly considered an individual variety
  • (Camellia sinensis var. cambodiensis) → Not clearly considered an individual variety

Cultivar

  • Definition: A cultivated variety of a tea plant
  • Example: Saemidori
  • Scope: Hundreds or thousands

Type

Style

  • Definition: A specific tea unique by specific processing, a specific cultivar and a specific terroir
  • Example: Sencha
  • Scope: Thousands

Variant

  • Definition: A variant of a specific tea defined by differences in manufacturing practices
  • Example: Sencha from the Nuruki Seicha plantation
  • Scope: Unlimited
Further Reading
Continue learning with related articles