The six types of Chinese tea

The six main tea types are distinguished primarily by processing. They come from Camellia sinensis; plant varieties, cultivars and growing conditions also influence flavour. Liquor colour describes a tea but does not determine its category.

Flat, dry Longjing leaves.
Photo: Romain Guy · CC BY-SA 2.0

Dry Bai Mudan leaves and buds.
Photo: chaidrakon.ru · CC BY 3.0

Dry Huang Ya yellow tea.
Photo: KirillK · CC0

Jin Xuan oolong from Alishan, Taiwan.
Photo: Difference engine · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dian Hong with golden tea buds.
Photo: Sjschen · CC BY 3.0

Liu Bao with visible yellow “jin hua” spots. A photograph alone cannot establish whether tea is safe to drink.
Photo: Cosmin Dordea · CC BY-SA 2.0

Green: early heat fixation

Heating suppresses enzyme activity before shaping and drying. This step is called sha qing (杀青). Longjing and Biluochun are examples. Flavours may suggest grass, beans or nuts; the liquor need not be bright green.

White: withering and drying

Traditional production centres on withering and drying, without a separate fixation step or intensive rolling. Baihao Yinzhen uses buds, Bai Mudan buds with leaves, and Shou Mei leafier material. Storage changes flavour but does not guarantee improvement.

Yellow: a yellowing stage

After heating, the leaves go through men huang (闷黄), a period of controlled warmth and moisture. This stage distinguishes yellow tea from green tea. Methods and duration vary; Junshan Yinzhen is one example. The category is defined by processing, rather than the colour of the brew.

Oolong: partial oxidation

Withering and handling develop aroma before heating limits further enzymatic oxidation. Rolling, drying and additional roasting depend on style. Tieguanyin, Taiwanese high-mountain oolongs, Wuyi teas and Dancong illustrate the range. Roast darkness is not the same as oxidation level.

Black: extensive oxidation

Leaves are withered, rolled or broken, allowed to oxidise, then dried. Dian Hong, Keemun and Zhengshan Xiaozhong are examples. This is hong cha (红茶), literally “red tea”, in Chinese. Malt, fruit, flowers and smoke occur in different styles, not in every black tea.

Dark: microbial fermentation

Microorganisms play an important role in processing hei cha (黑茶), such as Liu Bao and Fu Zhuan. This differs from enzymatic oxidation in black tea, though both are often called fermentation in tea terminology. “Golden flowers” belong to particular products, not the whole category.

Pu-erh: ask whether it is sheng or shu

Shu undergoes wet piling, wo dui, making its processing closely related to dark tea. Sheng uses sun-dried maocha without this step and changes during storage. Some overviews present pu-erh separately. When buying pu-erh, ask how it was made, how old it is and how it was stored. These details tell you more about the tea than its position in a classification chart.

Questions and answers

Are oxidation percentages on charts exact?

Usually they are an illustration, not a standardised analysis of every batch. Ask about processing style, roast and the particular flavour instead.

Which type should I try first?

Start with flavours that interest you. Buy a small sample and use the seller’s recipe. Green, white and sheng do not require experience with other types first. Reduce leaf or time if the result is too strong.