classify the teas according to its degree of fermentation

I have mentioned “white tea” before when I was introducing Winter White Earl Grey. 
So, let me classify the teas according to its degree of fermentation today.

I don’t like complex explanations. 
I don’t even have expert knowledge anyway.
So, I’ll try to explain it as simple as possible.

Green tea:  No fermentation.  Mostly roasted.  Tastes like a leaf and slightly bitter.
White tea:  10% fermentation.  Uses young leaves only.  Tastes soft and sensitive.
Yellow tea:  15% fermentation.  Fermented by piling up the leaves.  Tastes and smells soft.
Qing tea:  20~70% fermentation.  Dried tea leaf shapes like a dragon (AKA Oolong tea).  Mostly consumed by Japanese.
Black tea:  80% fermentation.  The name “black tea” is from the color of its tea leaf.  There are so many ways to process it.
Dark tea:  100% fermentation.  Also known as “puer tea” and has very deep taste and scent.

OK, that was my quick summary on the types of teas.
When the teas are blended, they mix many different types of teas together to find the best combination.  So, even if the label says black teas, they might have used dark tea, qing tea or green tea as well.  And they also include varieties of spices and fruits to add more scents other than the scent of teas.
The taste and scent of each tea varies greatly depending on degree of fermentation as well as producer, farm and blending company.
That’s why teas are so difficult, but it also makes people to enjoy diverse teas and makes black teas more attractive.


I’ll study more about teas in the future and share it with you. J

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