What tea is: classification

What kinds of tea are there? Quite a complicated question. Teas come in many varieties and species, but few know about their classifications. However, to understand this is not so difficult. In the article we will talk about what sorts of tea happen.

Place of production

Before you know what tea is, you need to find out where it is produced. It is grown in many countries. But only a few of them are leaders. So, most of all tea produced in the world grows and is processed in China. This country is the birthplace of the drink, so here they make teas of all possible varieties. Next after the leader is India. Most of the production is taken by cut and granulated teas. It is important to note that tea is immediately made "Darjeeling", considered elite.

Sri Lanka (Ceylon tea) takes an honorable third place and produces 10% of the world's volume. The technology of production in this country is similar to the Indian one. Japan is mainly a green variety, and it is not for export. In Africa (Kenya) they make only black variety. In addition, this drink is produced in almost all former British colonies and some other countries.

Types of bushes and leaves

What kind of tea? First of all, it depends on the types of tea bushes. They come in three forms: Chinese, Cambodian and Assamese. Chinese grow on the territory of Georgia, Vietnam, Japan, China. Of these, Indian "Darjeeling" is also being made. Assamese variety includes African, Ceylon, Indian tea. Cambodian shrubs grow in some regions of Indochina and are a hybrid of the first two species.

What kind of tea? The answer to this question also depends on the degree of machining.

• Baihovye, or scattered teas - the most popular. In this case, the sheet can be of three different types - whole leaf, medium leaf, crushed.
• Pressed can be tiled, tableted or brick. The whole leaves are produced for the production of brick, sometimes together with shoots, and for tile and pelletized crushed - often powdered material.
• Extracted, they are also soluble or instantly soluble. Can be sold as a crystalline form or extract. Here also include granulated and tea bags.

Treatment

Depending on the additional processing, the tea can be fermented, not fermented or even smoked.

Smoked tea is only one - "Lapsan Xiao Zhong." Produced in southern China. The reason, because of which it is called smoked, lies in the technology of manufacturing. Processing of twisted sheets in large baskets is done over or near the fire. And during the drying it is heated on pine wood. As a result, sophisticated lovers feel the notes of wood and smoke in it, and beginners - smoked sausage, smoked cheese or even rubber, turpentine.

Fermentation not only changes the taste of the future drink, but also its color. It is thanks to her that there are different colors of tea, which will be discussed below. This or that color is obtained depending on the duration of fermentation and whether it is carried out at all.

Fermented species before packaging pass a long process of processing, to give the tea a new taste or remove the excess. Unfermented tea does not lend itself to a particularly long treatment - here you can include green and white varieties.

In addition, the tea can be further fried and steamed to achieve a better flavor, color.

Additives

What kind of tea? In different types of beverage can add some kind of additives. They not only change the taste, but also the color of the tea, its aroma, and sometimes its shape, if we talk about modern teas that can appear in the water as blossoming flowers or buds.

In the tea can be added:

• Essential oils and fragrances;
• Buds and leaves of flowers and grass;
• Some fruits and berries.

What are the types of tea?

The most obvious method of distinguishing between different teas is in color. Depending on this, its features, benefits and even the place of production change, because some colors of the drink produce only in a certain area.

White tea

They are made from half-blown sheets. This variety is made exclusively in China and is used in the same place. Only a small part of the entire production is exported. The reason for this is the difficulty in transporting and storing. This variety is the most expensive and rare. During manufacture with leaves practically nothing do - do not ferment, and only wither and dry. The taste of this drink is delicate, floral, and the aroma is extraordinary. As for the good, there is no more healing grade and type of tea than white. It has anti-cancer properties, strengthens the walls of blood vessels, protects against viruses and bacteria.

Green tea

What are green teas? These varieties are among the most useful. The color can be light green, green and even yellowish - depending on the type, processing method and strength. The classification given above also applies to green tea. It can be Indian or Ceylon, in bags or crumbly, with or without additives, etc.

Its feature is in the presence of caffeine. Although many people think that this drink is incredibly useful for the heart, but because of the high level of this substance, which is sometimes more than in a black drink or even in coffee, you need to use it with the mind and in moderation.

Black, or red tea

Black tea in Asia is called red. Is the most fermented. After collecting leaves on the plantations, it goes through a lot of processing steps, which changes its color, saturation, taste and so on.

Its benefit depends on the type of bushes, processing, as well as the producer and additives, but among other varieties it is the most harmful. What is black tea? We have already spoken about this earlier. It, like any other (green, white, etc.), can be classified according to several parameters (leaf size, packing, place of production, etc.).

Yellow tea

Partly fermented variety. Produced exclusively in China. To get this variety, special types of tea bushes with full, golden-yellow buds are used.

He has an incredibly pleasant aroma and a delicate, velvety taste. This variety is one of the most delicious, and therefore expensive. According to the price category, it compares only with white. During drinking, you can feel incredible bliss. Also has a significant exciting effect and refers to the strong.

Red Chinese tea

Known in China, and the world is not widely distributed. It has an amber-golden color. The taste is tart, with the aroma of fruit. It is considered the best alternative to coffee because of the stimulating effect. But, unlike coffee, less harmful and even healing. Contains antioxidants and vitamins.

Turquoise tea or "Oolung" ("Oolong")

Translated as "black dragon". This variety is incredibly delicious, because of what has gained wide popularity in different countries. The degree of fermentation can be weak, medium or strong. For the production of fully ripened leaves with cuttings, in which there is a mass of useful oils.

It has a clearing and immunostimulating effect and is recommended to everyone without exception. Even the cores and people with pressure can drink it all day without consequences.

"Puer"

Such a drink is made using sophisticated technology. First, the collected leaves are brought to the state of green tea, and then fermented. This process lasts different times, why it can have in the final form a brown or black color. Its peculiarity is that it is pressed into flat cakes, cubes, bowls, pumpkins, tiles and so on.

In China, this variety is considered effective against all diseases. It helps with problems with the intestines, nervous system, fights toxins, improves immunity. But besides this - it's the only tea in the world that you can drink on an empty stomach!

Herb tea

Herbal teas do not have tea leaves, they are sometimes called phyto-tea. These are very useful drinks made from different herbs and flowers.

What are herbal teas? Among the most popular herbs used for their production, we can distinguish: chamomile, carcade, mint, melissa, oregano, St. John's wort, currant and raspberry, thyme, dogrose, rooibos and mate.