SIX TYPES OF TEA

Explore the Six Types of Tea: A Complete Guide In Traditional Chinese Tea Culture. The easiest way to remember is by the Tea’s colors. They are: White, Yellow (Scented Tea), Green, Golden (Oolong), Black (Chinese calls it Red),  Hey Cha (Chinese calls it Dark or Pu-erh). ☕️

Here you’ll learn about each type of tea. 🎬 Want to see these teas in action? Watch TEA: The Drink That Changed The World, now streaming FREE on TUBI or available on Amazon, to discover how each tea is grown, processed, and prepared.

The wonderful tea tonic comes in various colors: yellow, green, golden, red, and dark crimson. Green teas pour into a myriad of green shades: dazzling, vibrant, and soft mint.

There are Tippy Chinese Green Tea, Matcha, and Sencha. Then there are splendid red and crimson-colored teas from the Black tea category, like Assam Black, Earl Grey, Darjeeling Black tea, etc. Chinese Oolong tea occupies the golden spectrum.

Then there are sensational dark teas like Pu-erh (Pu’er, Puer). Aside from Tea’s fantastic shades and tea leaf shapes, how else can you tell the different types of Tea?

Explore the fascinating, rich tea history and mystery in the 90-minute TEA Documentary that will make you look at your daily cup of tea differently.

In this article, you’ll discover the traditional tea hierarchy and the major characteristics of each type of tea, along with fun facts. Let’s dive in.

What Are the Six Types Of Tea?

Tea originated in China. Traditionally, Chinese tea comes in six types. As a kid, I learned about tea using a color system based on the tonic or “tea soup.”

• White tea
• Yellow tea
• Green tea
• Oolong tea
• Black tea (Chinese call this Red.)
• Dark or Pu erh (Puer, Pu-er, Pu-erh, Pu’er, Puerh.

All six tea types are made from the plant Camellia sinensis. What makes each cup of tea different is the way the tea leaves are processed.

This single factor—how Tea is processed—was a Chinese ancient secret that had baffled brilliant European scientists for more than 400 years.

Here is a closer look at the six tea types, with corresponding loose-leaf teas.

Now let’s take a closer look at each tea type and the major characteristics by category.

1. White Tea

White Tea takes its name from its downy white buds. A very subtle tea, the most delicate white Tea grows in Fujian province, China. Tea-pickers pluck the tender buds by hand and carefully process them without rolling, firing, or oxidation. White Tea is the least processed of all tea types. The most famous names include Silver Pekoe, White Peony, and White Eyebrows.

2. Yellow Tea 

Yellow tea (黄茶, Huáng Chá) is the rarest and least known of China’s classic six types of tea—produced almost exclusively in China through a unique slow-drying process called “men huan” (闷黄, meaning “sealing yellow”). This labor-intensive technique involves gently wrapping tea leaves in cloth after initial processing, allowing a subtle oxidation that imparts a slightly yellow hue and produces a mellow, smooth flavor without the grassy notes of green tea.

Yellow tea’s rarity comes not from the plant itself, but from the extraordinary skill required to execute the men huan process perfectly. This additional slow-drying step softens the flavor while retaining the health properties of green tea, creating a drinking experience prized by Chinese tea connoisseurs for centuries. Only a handful of regions in China still produce authentic yellow tea—including Huoshan in Anhui Province (famous for Huoshan Huangya 霍山黄芽) and Junshan Island in Hunan Province (producing the legendary Junshan Yinzhen 君山银针). The near-extinction of traditional yellow tea production methods makes it one of the world’s most exclusive and least-known luxury beverages—a true connoisseur’s treasure virtually unknown outside China.

3. Green Tea

Green tea has a refreshing taste, ranging from clean to grassy. I call this the sauvignon blanc of Tea. Green Tea has earned well-deserved accolades for its health benefits worldwide. However, Chinese tea connoisseurs discovered long ago that all types of tea come with varying health benefits. Learn more about the health benefits of Green tea.

Green tea leaves are stir-fried or steamed (a traditional Chinese method that spread to Japan) to halt oxidation, then kneaded. Green Tea is much simpler to make than Black or Oolong Tea. The whole process takes just a day. Green Tea has a shorter shelf life compared to Oolong or Black Tea.

Discover how tea spread to Japan and how Chinese “Whipped Tea” from the Song Dynasty became the global phenomenon of Japanese Matcha today. (Don’t you love history? It’s fascinating!) Japanese tea-makers continue to evolve and innovate Green tea-making techniques, producing unique blends of Japanese Green teas such as shaded Green Tea. 

4. Oolong tea

Of the six tea types, Oolong tea is the most complex tea to process.

I call Oolong the Champagne of Tea. Semi-fermented, Oolong tea bursts with exotic fragrance and a sophisticated taste profile. Highly celebrated in China, Oolong tea has an ancient lore associated with fantasy novels. We capture this mystical origin story in our Tea Documentary.

Proper Oolong tea tasting is a ceremonial experience that shows respect for Tea and the tea drinker. Done right, Oolong tea tasting is a journey for the mind and the body, stimulating yet tranquil.

“It’s like letting Tea take you on a walk through the meadow in springtime. There is no need for words.”

The best Oolong shimmers with a golden hue and is famous for its long-lasting brew. Each brew reveals subtle differences. Which is the best brew? You decide. My personal favorite is the third or fourth brew.

Key facts

Highly celebrated in Chinese culture, Oolong tea is the most intricate of all. Learn about the 15 steps of tea-making.

The invention story of Oolong tea, namely DA HONG PAO (meaning “ig Red Robe” in Chinese), is legendary. Did you know that Da Hong Pao is the most coveted varietal in Oolong — the reason why the Gong Fu Cha tea tasting ceremony was invented in China? Gong Fu Cha is the oldest tea tradition, originating in the mid-1600’s during the Qing Dynasty. For the Tea Documentary, you captured on film the exclusive Gong Fu Cha ceremony performed by the Buddhist monks at the Mother Temple in Wuyi Shan — the birthplace of Da Hong Pao Oolong tea. Watch it on Amazon.

Extra bonus for those who fancy dragons — this is your perfect cup of tea! 

Known for its health benefits, Oolong is the world’s most expensive Tea. DA HONG PAO, produced in the Wuyi Mountains, leads the pack. The documentary TEA: The Drink That Changed The World traces the history of Oolong tea and how this storied tea spread from Wuyishan to Japan, India, and other countries.

💡 Experience authentic Oolong tea tasting at our Tea Culture Experience — launching at premier tea festivals worldwide to celebrate tea’s wondrous qualities. Discover how master tea makers craft each extraordinary brew.

5. Black Tea

Do you ever wonder where your favorite cup of Black Tea, such as Earl Grey, English Breakfast, or Darjeeling Black tea, comes from? Explore the rich history of Black tea, for it is a cup of history. 

Black tea originated with Lapsang Souchong, invented in the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian, China. Lapsang tells the most fascinating story of how tea changed world history, toppled empires, sparked revolutions, and brewed the most audacious, grandest tea heist — forever transplanting tea from China to India.

This jaw-dropping tale of industrial espionage has never been captured on film — until now. Watch the exclusive footage filmed inside the forbidden Wuyi Mountains, where we uncovered secrets guarded for centuries. Own TEA: The Documentary on Amazon and discover the truth behind your daily cup.

Lapsang Souchong gave birth to all other Black teas, including Assam Black tea, Ceylon Black tea, Darjeeling Black tea, and Kenya Black tea. How did Tea spread from the Wuyi Mountains to India, Sri Lanka, and Africa? That is an excellent question indeed.

In the TEA Documentary, we interviewed Mr. Jiang Yuan-Xun, the direct descendant of the inventor of Lapsang Souchong. This 24th-generation Black tea master told the incredible origin story of Lapsang Souchong tea and how it influenced the world. This historic Black Tea sparked American independence.

Did you know that all the Tea thrown into the Boston Harbor on Dec. 16th, 1773 were from China? Considered the “crown jewel of tea” from the 1600s to mid-1800s, Lapsang Souchong represented two-thirds of all the Tea destroyed that fateful evening, known as the Boston Tea Party.

History written in tea leaves

The original Lapsang Souchong Black tea had a smoky aroma. Have you heard of the term “ohea, “a common name for Black Tea? Tea historian Bruce Richardson explains how this term came about and recounts this exciting chapter of American history. For the documentary, we captured this historical scene on ground zero—Old South Meeting House in Boston.

Black Tea is fully fermented, including withering, rolling, and drying inside a smoked chamber, which gives the Tea its red color.

In wine-speak, Black Tea is the zinfandel or merlot of Tea.

Recently, the Lapsang Souchong family created an ultra-refined Black tea called Jin Jun Mei, known as the crown jewel for Chinese Black tea drinkers. Light and refreshing, Jin Jun Mei Black tea streams like a ray of light ruby and is a pure delight to taste. Of course, the Chinese would not think for a second about adding milk or sugar to their Black Tea. Discover the health benefits of Black tea here.

6. Dark Tea, or Pu erh (or Puer aka “Hei Cha”)

Pu-erh Tea is a world unto itself. Indigenous to Yunnan Province in China, Pu-erh has a long history, spanning over at least 2,000 years. A fascinating tea category as vast as it is diverse, Pu-erh Tea is a fermented tea and comes in two sub-categories:

• Sheng (raw in Chinese), and
• Shou (ripe in Chinese)

Both raw and ripe Pu-erh refer to tea leaves undergoing a complex process of gradual fermentation to reach maturity over time. Made from large-leaf tea trees, or “ay” in Chinese, the finest and rarest Pu-erh comes from ancient trees as old as 2,000 years.

Why Pu-erh captures the heart and the purse string

Pu-erh is a phenomenal tea! Its health benefits are legendary among the Chinese. This dark beauty deserves its documentary. A cup of aged Pu-erh Tea reveals ancient secrets of man and nature, culture, and history. Have you heard of the Tea-For-Horses trade? Pu-erh tea served as currency for trading prized horses between China and Tibet on the Ancient Tea Horse Road thousands of years ago.

A cup of earth

Quality Pu-erh tea is deep, dark crimson in color and rich in earthy flavors and aromas. Pu-erh lovers seem to be addicted to it.

Tasting a cup of well-aged Puer tea is like walking through the forest or being inside a cave.

In wine-speak, quality Pu-erh tea is like a French cabernet sauvignon: smooth, refined, and with a beautiful, deep red hue. Like wine, Pu-erh Tea comes with a standard label declaring the year and production region.

The Chinese have long treasured Pu-erh Tea for its legendary health benefits. A well-aged Puer tea cake commands top dollars among feverish collectors worldwide.

Also called “Hei Cha,” which means “Black tea” in Chinese, Pu-erh is an old tea. “Its dark crimson hue also makes it an easy target for counterfeiting, so buyers beware. Learn about brewing tips for Puerh here.

Tea is a language unto itself — This cup makes us more human.

And there you have it—all six types of tea. I hope this blog helps you understand a bit more about each type of tea. Happy sipping!

Love tea? Watch and share the Tea Documentary with friends and family, and everyone you love who loves tea! Get exclusive invites to tea tastings, festival appearances, and special events. Be first to know when the Tea Culture Experience comes to your city. Join our TEA JOY CLUB here. I look forward to sharing tea joy with you in person!  

With deep gratitude, 
Christy — Filmmaker of Tea Documentary