General Tea FAQ: Your Questions Answered

Tea is a drink made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. This plant is the source of all true teas. Including white, green, oolong, black, and pu-erh varieties.

Yes! All “true teas” come from Camellia sinensis. The two main varieties are Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, the chinese variety. And Camellia sinensis var. assamica, the assam variety.

True tea comes from the actual tea plant, camellia sinensis. Herbal teas and tisanes are made from other plants like chamomile, peppermint, rooibos, or hibiscus.

There are six main types of tea. White, green, yellow, oolong, black, and pu-erh.

China was the first to cultivate tea. From there it spread throughout Asia and eventually reached Europe trade routes.

You don’t need fancy gear to make great tea! Here are some general recommendations you should start with:

Variable temperature kettle or thermometer.
Tea infuser or strainer.
Timer. (your phone works great!)
Airtight storage containers.

Nice to Haves:
Teapot for ceremonial brewing.
Gaiwan for exploring Asian teas.
Tea scale for accuracy.

Brewing tea is easier than people can make it seem, Here’s the method:

Heat your water to the right temperature
Measure your tea (1 teaspoon loose leaf or 1 bag per cup)
Pour hot water over the tea
Steep for the right time
Remove the tea (strain or remove bag)

Done, Enjoy your tea!
If you’re looking for a more detailed guide on brewing tea, thats right here.

Yes, lots of tea drinkers like to cover their cups to keep the heat and stop the aroma from escaping.

White tea uses 175 to 185 degree water and steeps for 2 to 5 minutes.
Green tea uses 160 to 180 degree water and steeps for 1 to 3 minutes.
Oolong tea uses 185 to 205 degree water and steeps for 3 to 5 minutes.
Black tea uses 200 to 212 degree water and steeps for 3 to 5 minutes.
Pu-erh tea uses 200 to 212 degree water and steeps for 3 to 7 minutes.
Herbal tea uses 212 degree water and steeps for 5 to 7 minutes.

Plucking first – involves harvesting fresh tea leaves, typically the top two leaves and one bud. Withering allows the leaves to lose moisture and become soft and pliable. Rolling – this breaks the leaf up to release essential oils and shape the tea. Then oxidation exposes the leaves to air, with timing varying by tea type. Firing uses heat to stop oxidation, and finally dry the leaves for preservation.

You will usually get more flavor and complexity when you opt to use some loose leaf tea. Loose leaf is great at home; while tea bags can be great on the go, in a time pinch, or for just general ease of use.

Oxidation is when tea leaves are exposed to oxygen, causing chemical changes that affect flavor, aroma, and color. Although Green tea is typically not oxidized.

In tea terms, “fermentation” usually refers to oxidation, which is technically wrong. True fermentation involves microorganisms like bacteria or yeast breaking down tea compounds. Pu-erh tea undergoes actual fermentation using beneficial bacteria cultures. Kombucha is fermented tea made with SCOBY cultures.

Tea grades indicate leaf size and quality, not taste quality. FTGFOP stands for Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, the highest black tea grade. TGFOP means Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, representing high quality black tea. FOP stands for Flowery Orange Pekoe, indicating good whole leaf black tea. Pekoe refers to shorter, coarser black tea leaves. Green tea grades focus on leaf appearance and processing quality rather than traditional black tea classifications.

Yes, high quality loose leaf teas can often be steeped 2-4 times and sometimes more! Each steep can also reveal some different flavors.

Tea can taste bitter if it gets too hot. It can also become bitter if you steep too long, if you used too much tea, or if your tea is stale. You can fix bitter tea by lowering your waters temps, shortening your steep time, using less tea, and dumping the stale leaves.

Keep your tea happy with these storage tips:

Airtight containers (away from air)
Cool, dark places (away from light and heat)
Away from strong odors (tea absorbs smells!)
Dry environment (moisture is tea’s enemy)

Tea doesn’t really “expire” like milk, but it does lose flavor over time. Here’s the general timeline:

Black tea: 2-3 years
Green tea: 1-2 years
White tea: Can get better with age if it is stored correctly.
Pu-erh: Improves with aging.
Herbal teas: 1-3 years

Black tea has 40 to 70 milligrams of caffeine per 8 ounce cup.
Green tea has 25 to 50 milligrams of caffeine per 8 ounce cup. 
White tea has15 to 30 milligrams of caffeine per 8 ounce cup. 
Oolong tea has 30 to 50 milligrams of caffeine per 8 ounce cup. 
Pu-erh tea has 30 to 70 milligrams of caffeine per 8 ounce cup. 
Herbal tea has zero caffeine and is usually caff free unless added otherwise.

For comparison, coffee typically contains 95 to 200 milligrams of caffeine per 8 ounce cup.

Tea is decaffeinated using three main methods. CO2 processing, water processing, or ethyl acetate extraction. The CO2 method uses carbon dioxide to remove caffeine while preserving the best flavor. Water processing soaks tea leaves in water to extract caffeine naturally. Ethyl acetate is a natural solvent that will pull the caffeine from the leaves. Decaf tea still contains 1ish to 5ish milligrams of caffeine per cup, so it’s not completely caff free but very close.