Types of Tea
Green, White, Black Oolong and Rooibos

The types of tea are changed in the processing. The source of all non herbal tea comes from the Carnellia sinensis according to the USDA. The tea makers then process the tea three different ways and we as consumers get black teas, green tea, and white tea. From there, there are different steaming and frying processes that get different types of all three teas.

Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world, only water is drank more. Tea was first used in China and then the plants were exported to other countries in the far east like India and Japan. The consensus of most tea experts is that Japanese teas are now the best available on the market. But like most things there is a great deal of debate between the true tea aficionados.

The greatest attribute of the types of tea is the health benefits that have been known about this beverage as long ago as 5000 years. However tea is just becoming really popular in the U.S. now but has yet to reach the pinnacle of coffee. 90% of the tea consumed in the U.S. is black but with the publicity surrounding green tea it is gaining ground. But my experience is high quality tea is still hard to find at least in my home town. Yes ther is the supermarket but as I understand it the teas in markets are not as healthful because they have lost nutrient value due to many different manufacturing and environmental activities.

The health benefits of all tea types is there antioxidant content. Some people say overall tea has ten times the antioxidant power of fruits and vegetable sources. Not only that, but the antioxidants in the different types of teas, are different than the ones found in fruits and vegetables. This leads me to believe all of the different nutrients in foods are that way for a reason. Common sense tells me drinking and eating a variety of fruits, vegetables and beverages is the way to optimal health. And with the web you can get fresh tea delivered to your door.

Teas are a major source of antioxidants and there are three classes of these antioxidants which are then broken down into sub-categories. The main classes are catechins theaflavins and tannins. These compounds are the ones being studied to see if they are responsible for the positive health effects of tea which have been experienced for thousands of years.

Tea processing is what distinguishes the different types of tea. The process known as oxidation or fermentation is what separates the tea types.

White tea which is the new growth buds of the tea plant undergoes no oxidation at all and the leafs are protected against sunlight to inhibit the formation of chlorophyll. It is considered a premium tea and is not well known outside China.

Green tea is next in line and does have some oxidation but it is stopped early normally by steaming and then drying. There are many different levels of this process depending on the individual farmer and processor.

Oolong tea sometimes referred to as Wulong is the process between green and black teas. The oxidation process takes two to three days.

Black teas also referred to as red teas(the meaning of the word in Chinese) are teas which are completely oxidized. This is the most common type of tea the world over

Rooibos is a relatively new tea but is different in that it has no caffine. Its taste is also different and is very popular in South Africa where most of it is grown. It has a fruity taste. The taste is different because this tea has very little tannins and therefore no bitter taste that other teas may have.(taste of course is personal)

In a study of antioxidant activity using the DPPH method (radical scavenging assay) the different types of teas are rated as follows The study used tea extracts.
• Green tea 90%
• Rooibos unfermented 86%
• Rooibos fermented 83%
• Black Tea 81%

Depending on what kind of test is used to determine antioxidant activities or levels is why there are so many different claims as to who is the highest but in a page herein about ORAC testing do not get stuck looking for the absolutely highest numbers. The one thing to remember is that tea is a very healthful drink with high

And interesting note:green tea has more catechins than oolong and black tea in a USDA study. Green tea had three times the catechins as black tea. It seems that as fermentation increase total catechins and other flavonoids decrease and flavor increases.

Green Tea is the most popular of the antioxidant teas. Green tea has many healing properties

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