All true teas (infusions made from herbs are technically called tisanes) start from the fresh green leaves of the
tea plant, Camellia sinensis. The way they’re processed accounts for the differences in color and flavor.
Below, the four main categories of tea and how to brew each. For the best flavor, experts say, use filtered water.
Black Tea
What It Is: Accounting for
80 percent of all tea sold worldwide (90 percent in the United States), black tea is brisk and full-bodied enough to stand up to milk and sugar. Like oolong, it has half the caffeine of coffee (green and white teas have about a third).
How It’s Made: It’s fully fermented, meaning the leaves are dried long enough to oxidize fully, which produces the dark color and flavor.
How to Brew: Bring the water to a rolling boil. Steep one teaspoon or bag per cup for three to five minutes.
Green Tea
What It Is: Popular in Japan and China, and the tea most studied for its potential health benefits (see
Health Benefits of Tea), this yellow-green brew has
a light, earthy, sweet taste.
How It’s Made: It’s unfermented. Leaves are heated to destroy the enzymes that cause oxidation.
How to Brew: To avoid bitterness, heat the water to just below the boil (when a few bubbles start to rise), or
let it boil, then set it aside for 10 minutes. Steep one teaspoon or bag per cup for one to two minutes.
Oolong Tea
What It Is: A cross between black tea’s strength and green tea’s freshness, oolong is medium-bodied, smoky, and a bit fruity. Some connoisseurs believe that adding milk or sugar to oolong masks its particular appeal.
How It’s Made: It’s partially fermented — the leaves oxidize for a shorter period than with black tea.
How to Brew: To avoid bitterness, heat the water to just below the boil (when a few bubbles start to rise), or
let it boil, then set it aside for 10 minutes. Steep one teaspoon or bag per cup for one to two minutes.
White Tea
What It Is: The rarest of teas, and expensive, this usually comes from two regions in China and has a very brief picking season. It’s a fragrant, almost colorless brew that’s lighter-tasting and sweeter than green.
How It’s Made: It’s unfermented, made from the unopened silver buds and outer leaf tips, which
are simply air-dried. Since white is the least processed of all teas, it preserves the most antioxidants.
How to Brew: Heat the water as you would for green tea, then steep one teaspoon per cup for 3 to 10 minutes.
