Tea Varietals
White Tea
White tea is tea in which buds, rather than leaves, predominate. It is plucked from special varieties of the tea plant known as Shui Hsien and Dai Bai. The highest quality white tea is called Baihao Yinzhen, which means, "white down silver needles." Less fancy varieties are called Baimudan (or Pai Mu Tan) and Show Mee (or Shoumei).
Green Tea
There are many varieties of green tea, most of which are little-known outside of Asia. This list is only a tiny fraction of the varieties of green tea drunk throughout China, Japan and India. Green tea is not oxidized at all; the freshly harvested leaves are rolled and fired immediately. As a result, green tea usually has more of a vegetative or herbaceous quality than blacks or oolongs. Most greens produce a greenish-gold liquor. People who were raised on black tea often find green an acquired taste, but it is worth acquiring.
Gyokuro (Japan)
The most highly valued Japanese tea. Also known as "Pearl Dew," it is a surprisingly rich, herbaceous tea.
Spider Leg (Japan)
This is a "basket-fired" variety of Gyokuro, meaning that it is fired in bamboo baskets. The leaves turn out long and thin, hence the name "Spider Leg."
Matcha (Japan)
Matcha is the powdered tea used in the famed Japanese tea ceremony. It is also called Tencha (before it is powdered).
Sencha, Bancha, Houjicha (Japan)
'Sencha' is a generic Japanese name for green tea, applying to most high quality tea other than Gyokuro. Bancha refers to late-harvested teas. Roasted tea is called Houjicha.
Genmaicha (Japan)
Genmaicha is sometimes called "popcorn tea" because green tea is blended with toasted rice.
Lung Ching (China)
Commonly called Dragonwell, this tea is named after a famous well which is said to be the home of a dragon. Supposedly, one should brew this tea with water from that well. Even with ordinary water, it produces a marvelous tea with a complex, subtle, almost sweet flavor.
Gunpowder (China)
This is a strong, earthy green tea that is rolled into tiny pellets.
Baozhong (China)
Also called Bao Jong or Pouchong, it is allowed to wither before firing; hence it is just shy of being oolong. It is sometimes regarded as a fourth basic category of tea, since it is intermediate in oxidation between green tea and oolong. Its flavor is intermediate between oolong and green, and its aroma is strongly reminiscent of lilacs. Baozhong is used as the base for some very good jasmine tea.
Oolong Tea
Oolong is oxidized, but not for as long as black tea. It is in a sense "intermediate" between green and black, but good oolong should be judged on its own terms, and need not be compared to other kinds of tea. Most good oolongs have an intense floral aroma and a remarkable peachy flavor. Others have a vegetative quality like that of green tea. Liquor color ranges all over the spectrum, from a pale jade green to pink to deep gold.
Formosa Oolong (Taiwan)
Formosa oolongs, grown in Taiwan, have a long-standing reputation as the finest oolongs available. They are called the "Champagne of Teas," and rightly so in most cases. There are many varieties. Most that are commercially available in the West are not labeled with varietal or place names; the label usually just informs you that it is Formosa oolong and gives its grade. As mentioned, oolong is graded according to quality, not just leaf size.
Tie Guan Yin (China)
If of good quality, this is a truly magnificent oolong, as good as many Formosa oolongs. Its color ranges from pinkish to gold, and its peachy flavor is strong and rich.
Black Tea
Black tea is produced by allowing harvested leaf to wither and oxidize for about 10 to 16 hours before the process is halted by firing the leaf.
Assam (India)
This variety has orange or red liquor and a distinctive "malty" flavor. It is a common component of high-quality blends, but is well worth seeking out unblended. Assam is reliably strong, full-bodied tea. Many Irish Breakfast blends are entirely Assam.
Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
There are several varieties of Ceylon tea, but most of the Sri Lankan harvest goes into blends. Commercial blends advertised as "Orange Pekoe" are usually blends of India and Ceylon. This is probably closest to what most Westerners think of when they think of tea: reddish-brown liquor; brisk, full flavor.
Darjeeling (India)
This is the most expensive, sought-after black tea in the world. Unlike most other teas, many Darjeelings are sold under the name of the plantation where they were grown. Unfortunately, a great deal of tea labeled "Darjeeling" consists of blends containing only 50% Darjeeling. Worse, most of the Darjeeling contained in these blends is harvested during the rainy season and so is less flavorful. If you intend to buy real Darjeeling, make sure you are buying 100% Darjeeling, preferably first or second flush. Fine Darjeelings usually have a lighter liquor than other black teas, from a light reddish color to a bright gold. Astringency is usually quite pronounced, and the aroma and flavor hint of almonds and wildflowers.
Keemun (China)
This is the foundation of many English Breakfast blends. (Some English Breakfasts are all Keemun.) Keemuns come in a remarkably large number of varieties. Most produce a red liquor with a subtle combination of flavors; the aroma is often rich and fruity, sometimes with suggestions of plum and apple. Some Keemuns have a delicate smoky flavor (though not as smoky as Lapsang Souchong).
Lapsang Souchong (China)
This tea is fired over smoking pine needles, which produces a striking smoky odor and flavor. The best varieties are not overwhelmed by the smoke, but retain subtlety and a mix of other flavors. Lapsang Souchong is found in many Russian Caravan blends.
Nilgiri (India)
Nilgiri, Darjeeling and Assam are the three Indian teas which the Indian Tea Board promotes as "self-drinkers," i.e. teas worth drinking unblended. Unfortunately, Nilgiri is not as distinctive or interesting as the other two. It is very much like Ceylon tea. Like Ceylon, much of the Nilgiri harvest ends up in blends.
Sikkim (India)
This variety comes from a tea-growing area very near Darjeeling. It combines Darjeeling's delicate flavor and light body with Assam's maltiness. Although it is an excellent tea, it is not very well known and thus not quite as expensive as Darjeeling.
Yunnan (China)
Yunnan's brown liquor has a subtle, earthy, peppery flavor. Higher quality Yunnan are wonderful. Some Yunnan is used in Russian Caravan blends.
Pu-erh Tea
Pu-erh is an unusual large-leafed tea with a characteristic earthy flavor. Its color is very dark, almost red. It is marketed in bulk as Pu-erh, shaped into cakes as Pu-erh Cake Tea, or pressed into hemispherical pieces called "Tuo Cha," or "Bird's Nest Tea." Pu-erh differs from other teas because it is oxidized a second time. This secondary oxidation sometimes is used to develop a thin layer of mold on the leaves. Pu-erh is renowned for its alleged medicinal effects on the digestive tract. Some Chinese, in fact, drink it only as medicine. In any case, it is an acquired taste. The term "earthy" applies almost literally, as some Pu-erh tastes remarkably like dirt. This is not a criticism, but novices should taste the tea before buying it.
Golden Pu-erh (China)
This precious and rare Pu-erh is made from small leaf with golden tips. Produces a very smooth golden brew.
There are more different blends of tea than can reasonably be mentioned in the space available, so only a listing of the most well-known categories are mentioned. The composition and proportions of a particular blend vary from dealer to dealer, and are sometimes well-guarded secrets. Blends may be restricted to teas from a particular growing area, but in most cases are not. Blends most commonly include tea grown in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia or Africa.
English Breakfast
Some English Breakfasts are blends of India and Ceylon teas; others, mostly or entirely Keemun.
Earl Grey
This well-known British blend is scented with oil of bergamot. Bergamot is an inedible citrus fruit shaped like a pear; the oil is pressed out of its rind and sprayed on a blend of black teas. (There is also an herb called "bergamot" which smells like oil of bergamot. The herb is not used in the production of Earl Grey.) There is no standard base for Earl Grey; its distinctiveness derives from the oil of bergamot. Some Earl Greys are quite good; others, unfortunately, are saturated with too much of the aromatic oil, or contain low quality leaves, or both.
Oil of bergamot has two unusual properties that deserve brief mention. One is that it can attack some kinds of transparent plastic, causing them to become opaque. This may cause concerns for people who store Earl Grey in transparent plastic containers. The other is that it contains chemicals called psoralens, which can induce sensitivity to sunlight in susceptible individuals. The sun sensitivity produces an odd darkening of the skin, which is called psoralen-induced photosensitive hyperpigmentation.
Irish Breakfast
As mentioned earlier, this is usually mostly Assam and very strong.
Jasmine (China)
Logically enough, this tea is scented with jasmine flowers. Some are made from Baozhong tea, but most are unoxidized green tea. The highest quality is called Yin Hao. Jasmine tea ranges from abysmal stuff, where the flowers are used to mask the poor quality of the tea, to truly remarkable (and remarkably costly) delicacies.
Russian Caravan
A popular blend, Russian Caravan harks back to the days when tea was hauled to Russia from China on camel back. It often contains a bit of smoky Lapsang Souchong, though its base is typically Keemun or Yunnan. Some also contain oolong.
