Do all true teas come from the same plant?

Yes. White, green, yellow, oolong, black and pu-erh all come from Camellia sinensis. They differ only in how the leaf is processed after picking, above all how much it is allowed to oxidise. Herbal teas are infusions of other plants and are not true tea.

What is oxidation in tea?

Oxidation is an enzymatic browning that begins once leaf cells are bruised and exposed to air, much like a cut apple turning brown. Green tea is heat-fixed early to stop it, oolong is partially oxidised, and black tea is fully oxidised, which darkens the leaf and deepens the flavour.

Why use cooler water for green and white tea?

Lightly oxidised teas have delicate compounds that scald easily. Water near boiling extracts harsh bitterness and tannin, so 70 to 85 °C preserves their fresh, sweet character. Black tea and pu-erh are robust enough for near-boiling water.

How is pu-erh different from black tea?

Black tea is fully oxidised then dried, ending the process. Pu-erh is post-fermented: after fixing, the leaf undergoes microbial ageing, either slowly as raw sheng or accelerated as ripe shou, giving an earthy, evolving character that deepens over years of storage.

Is this reference fetched online?

No. The tea data and filtering run entirely in your browser as a static reference. Nothing is fetched, uploaded or stored, so it works offline.

Tea Type & Processing Reference

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One plant, six teas

White, green, yellow, oolong, black and pu-erh all begin as leaves of the same plant, Camellia sinensis. What sets them apart is processing — especially how much the leaf is oxidised. This reference lays out each type with its oxidation level, processing method, brew guidance, origin and flavour, plus herbal tisanes for completeness.

How it works

The defining variable is oxidation, the enzymatic browning that starts when leaf cells are bruised and meet air:

White   minimal     simply withered and dried
Green   none/early  heat-fixed to halt oxidation, then rolled
Yellow  very low    green-style plus a slow damp-heat "yellowing"
Oolong  partial     bruised and oxidised 10–80%, then roasted
Black   full        fully oxidised, then dried
Pu-erh  post-ferment microbially aged after fixing

More oxidation generally darkens the liquor, deepens the flavour and raises the ideal brewing temperature. Lightly oxidised teas stay delicate and want cooler water and shorter steeps to avoid bitterness.

Tips and notes

Match water temperature to oxidation: cool for white and green, hot for black and pu-erh.
Over-steeping extracts tannin and bitterness — start at the lower end of the time range and adjust to taste.
Pu-erh and many oolongs reward multiple short infusions from the same leaves, each one revealing a different layer.
“Herbal tea” is technically a tisane: it contains no Camellia sinensis and is usually naturally caffeine-free.