The different types of teas and infusions: Green Tea, Black Tea, Rooibos…
For our greatest pleasure, there are a multitude of types of teas and infusions, whose geographical and plant origins, manufacturing methods and aromas are varied to satisfy the most demanding palates. Green, black, blue and white teas, chamomile, verbena or rooibos: immerse yourself in the world of different types of teas and infusions.
In all seasons and on all occasions, the pleasure of enjoying a cup of tea or an infusion never loses its intensity. Smoky, fruity, bitter, woody, sweet, assertive or infinitely subtle flavors, it is from this richness between the different types of teas and infusions that their success throughout the world comes. Much more than a simple drink, each plant and each manufacturing process makes the final elixir a unique experience.
While you need to be an expert in tea to make it, you don't need to know anything about it to taste it. However, with so many types of tea, it can sometimes be difficult to make a choice. From green tea to infusions to rooibos and oolong tea: if you're wondering which tea to choose, read on.
Choosing your tea: green tea, white tea, blue tea, verbena infusion...
Green tea
Let's start our discovery of the different types of tea with the one that is on everyone's lips and in every cup: green tea. Originally from China, where it is now consumed in large quantities, green tea owes its popularity to its delicate taste, but also to its many virtues: slimming ally, nectar of good humor, anti-diabetes and cardiovascular disease...
If this drink offers so many benefits, it is because it is obtained using a very specific process. The natural oxidation of the leaves is interrupted after picking, which allows the tea to retain its catechins, the molecules responsible for its antioxidant properties.
Green tea pairs wonderfully with the fruity notes of lemon or strawberry, with the intoxicating exotic flavor of jasmine or with the suave charm of rose and lychee.
Black tea
Although it comes from the same plant as green tea, black tea is very different. In fact, black tea is obtained by the complete oxidation of tea leaves. It is the best-selling tea in the West, a success that it owes in particular to its long conservation and its many tasty combinations with other plants and fruits.
The exact method of making black tea varies depending on the use, but can be summarized as follows: the tea leaves are rolled and broken, then stored in a warm, humid room until fully oxidized, giving the tea its famous black color.
It comes in a wide aromatic palette depending on its origin: Darjeeling, Ceylon, Earl Grey, Chai, etc. and blends happily with the fruity flavors of apple or strawberry, as well as the floral flavors of rose or hibiscus.
Blue tea (Oolong)
Blue tea or Oolong tea is a type of semi-oxidized tea popular in China and Taiwan. It is halfway between green tea and black tea in terms of oxidation, but its manufacturing process is longer. The leaves are picked and then withered in the sun before being brewed in a warm, humid room, it is at this stage of production that partial oxidation takes place.
But the latter is interrupted by a maneuver specific to blue tea, which gives it its subtle hazelnut aroma: roasting. Finally, the leaves are rolled and dried. These nutty notes form an exquisite alliance with chocolate.
White tea
Prized by connoisseurs, white tea seduces with its finesse and fascinates with its rarity. Traditionally produced in the Chinese province of Fujian, Paï Mu Tan white tea undergoes only a tiny transformation between its picking and its consumption. Its leaves are not rolled but simply dried in the sun.
Thus, the leaves and buds used in the manufacture of this type of tea undergo a slower and more natural oxidation than other types of tea. It is a living and pure spring tea whose aromas and appearance vary over the course of the harvests, the weather and its packaging.
Rooibos
Rooibos is often related to tea, however, it does not come from tea leaves, but from a shrub endemic to South Africa from which it takes its name. The infusion of rooibos leaves gives a drink with red-brown highlights, which sometimes earns it the abusive name of “red tea”, now banned because of the confusion it creates with the nickname given by the Chinese to black tea.
Rooibos is prized for its flavors and therapeutic properties, particularly in South Africa, its country of origin, where it is commonly enjoyed with condensed milk and sugar. It does not contain caffeine, making it an ideal beverage for tea lovers who are sensitive to the effects of this substance.
Combined with other plants and fruits such as lavender, mint, chamomile, pineapple, orange blossom or strawberry, it can be found in delicious beneficial infusions!
Infusions
An infusion is any drink other than tea that comes from steeping a plant preparation in hot water. There is a huge variety of them, and new ones are introduced every day. Plants, flowers, fruits, spices, nature is full of resources, each more virtuous than the last. Among this infinite choice and possible combinations, some flagship infusions always take center stage:
The linden and mint infusion, which shines with its comforting aromas and its calming and digestive properties, chamomile, slightly bitter with a soothing action, or even verbena, with its tangy notes and its famous benefits on digestion.
Has this tea guide made your mouth water? Discover our selection of finely flavored teas and infusions, designed by the experts at Fauchon.
