Tea is the most commonly consumed beverage across the world. There are several types of tea available, compatible with the high demand. Some of these are very widely used, while others are relatively less popular. Here I present to you some of the varieties and the methods of making them.
Most types of tea that you consume in your life will be extracted from the Camilla sinensis bush. The kind of processing method employed will determine what kind of tea you get from the leaves of this bush. For instance, if the leaves are dried up and then allowed to steam or fried in a pan, you will get green tea. On the other hand, if the leaves of this herb are fermented until they achieve a significantly darker color, you will be left with dark tea. If the leaves are fermented only for a short period of time, the resultant will be oolong tea.
In addition to the types of tea from Camilla, there are several other plants from which the leaves for making tea are extracted. An example is earl grey, which is used to make black tea. You even have the choice of making black tea yourself by enriching normal black tea with fragrant citrus oil. This oil is an extract of the exotic citrus fruit, bergamot orange. A caffeine-free category of tea is red, which is extracted from rooibos or honeybush plants. The distinguishing feature of these plants is that they have a very sweet flavor and a high content of antioxidants.
Many people nowadays prefer herbal types of tea, due to the growing health concerns. Herbal tea can be produced by immersing any kind of plant in water, except the Camilla sinensis. The options include sage, mint and lemon balm. In addition to plant leaves, flowers are also often used in herbal tea. These include lavender, hibiscus, roses or chamomile. Cinnamon bark is also sometimes utilized. In reality, the herbal tea you get from stores is a combination of several types of herbs. You could even mix some herbs yourself and make herbal tea at home.
A type of tea plant that grows only in China is White. These plants are harvested only during early spring, and they are filled with flavors of various fruits. This is typically produced on a small-scale. Perhaps one of the most common types of tea is green tea, which has many associated health benefits. The most popular types in this category are the sencha and gyokuro produced in Japan. The sencha tea is known to boost energy and keep you relaxed throughout the day, along with having a flowery odor and an amazing yellowish green color. Gyokuro is known to be very rarely used and expensive, and is typically grown in shaded areas. This tea has lower caffeine content and a sweet taste.
Other popular types of tea include matcha, bancha, oolong and black. Matcha has the advantage of being available in the form of a fine powder that can easily be dissolved in water. It is also a rich source of antioxidants and is very convenient to use alongside other recipes. The bancha variety is cheap and caffeine-free. It contains several antioxidants and has two types, the Hojicha and the Genmaicha. The Oolong and Black have to be oxidized for a long period of time before they can be baked. Oolong is a combination of black and green tea, and the taste is floral with some varieties while woody with others. Black is known to be the most used type of tea all across the world.