Thee Secrets
Thee Secrets
What is the difference between white, green and black tea?
White tea is made exclusively from the unopened leaf buds of the tea plant and undergoes the fewest treatment steps. After steaming, only a drying step takes place. White tea contains more antioxidants (catechins) than green tea.
Green tea is produced by treating the young leaves of the tea plant with steam immediately after harvesting. This inactivates the enzymes that cause oxidation of the polyphenols (especially the enzyme phenoloxidase), leaving the amount of polyphenols intact. This also keeps the color of the leaves green. The leaves are then mechanically rolled and crushed and dried at a low temperature.
Oolong tea or oolong is a traditional Chinese type of tea somewhere between green and black tea. Green tea is not fully oxidized and black tea is fully oxidized. The oxidation rate of oolong tea is between 10 and 75 percent. The taste of the least oxidized oolong tends to be green tea with a fresh flowery citrus-like taste. The most oxidized tend to black tea and have a taste of stone fruits, often described as roasted apricots and peaches.
Black tea is tea made from the leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis). This variety is made by heavier oxidation than the white, green, and oolong varieties. It is generally stronger in flavor and contains more caffeine than lighter oxidized teas.
Infusions
The difference between a tea and an infusion is that a tea always comes from a tea plant (Camellia Sinensis/Assamica) and an infusion is an aqueous infusion of any other plant or plant part.
So a tea can only be called a tea if it is made from the leaves of the tea plant.
We distinguish 4 different infusions: Herbal infusions, Flower infusions, Fruit infusions, & Rooibos infusions.