How Tea is Made: 4 Beverages from One Plant

Many tea lovers enjoy their favorite beverage every day without realizing that the same tea leaf is used to make the four most common types of tea: black tea, oolong tea, white tea and green tea. Although each of these teas come from the leaves of the same plant, they are processed and cured in a fashion that gives them dramatically different flavor profiles.

Black Tea

As soon as the leaves of the Camellia sinensis are picked, they begin to oxidize and wilt unless they are quickly dried. In the case of black tea, these leaves are left to completely wilt under blown air. Unlike other teas, the leaves are also often fully crushed and/or torn next. They are then fully oxidized in a controlled setting that is referred to as "fermentation," although no actual fermenting takes place. Finally, the fully oxidized and wilted leaves are dried. The result is dark tea with a much stronger flavor and higher caffeine content.

Oolong Tea

When oolong tea is processed, the Camellia sinensis leaves are also allowed to wilt under the blowing air after being picked. The wilted leaves are then bruised or rolled before proceeding to fermentation. Although these leaves do undergo some oxidation, they are taken on to be dried before they are completely black. The result of the partial oxidation and rolling or bruising is the richly flavored tea that Westerners are most familiar with from Chinese restaurants.

This is the standard production for oolong tea, but there are different grades of quality that require more hands on observation and technique. The processing of leaves for traditional oolong tea can be much more of a craft than commercially produced teas.

Green Tea

Although Camellia sinensis leaves are briefly wilted for green tea, they are not brought into the oxidation chamber at all before being dried. Because they are not oxidized, the chlorophyll in the leaves is not fully broken down, giving green tea its distinct color. The relatively simplified processing procedure leaves a light and simple green tea that is famously rich in antioxidants.

White Tea

Although fine white tea is made from the leaves of the same plant as the other teas, the tea bush is actually harvested differently. In the early spring, tea growers select the freshest silver buds and some leaves to make the treasured first tea of the season, white tea. These leaves are neither withered nor fermented before being dried, and the result is a delicate and pleasing beverage with the lowest caffeine and highest nutrient content of all of the teas.

SOURCES:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tea_processing_chart_II.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_processing
http://www.oolongtea.org/e/
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-oolong-tea.htm
http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa011400a.htm
http://www.whiteteaguide.com/whiteteaproduction.htm