Yellow tea is a lightly fermented tea with a unique production process that sets it apart from green tea. It follows a similar method to green tea but includes an additional step called Men Huang, in which the leaves are kept warm and humid in wooden or metal containers. This encourages microbial fermentation while the leaves are still warm from pan-firing or drying. The process breaks down chlorophyll and gives the leaves their characteristic yellow tint, which is where the tea gets its name.

This slow fermentation brings out a deeper, more mellow flavour not found in green tea. It has less bitterness and a gentle sweetness, making it smooth and refreshing. Yellow tea remains rare today due to its labor-intensive production and limited output, and is considered one of the most prized types of tea.

Tasting Notes:  Smooth, Sweet, Luscious

Popular Flavours:  Huoshan HuangYa, Yunnan HuangYa

Oolong tea is a semi-oxidised tea, with oxidation levels ranging from around 8% to as high as 85%, depending on the style. This places it between green tea (which is unoxidised) and black tea (which is fully oxidised). Most oolong teas are made from cultivars specifically selected for this style.

The leaves are typically kept whole and either rolled into tight balls or long strips. Roasting is often applied to varying degrees, developing a range of flavour profiles—from floral and aromatic to nutty or deeply roasted. Less oxidised oolongs (sometimes referred to as green oolongs) have a fresher, greener character, while more heavily oxidised oolongs offer a richer, maltier taste.

Tasting Notes:  Depending on Oxidation Level

Popular Flavours:  Gaba Oolong, Yushan Oolong, Tie Guan Yin 

Known as red tea in China, referring to the reddish colour of its liquor, black tea is fully oxidised. The English term "black tea" describes the dark appearance of the processed leaves.

To make black tea, the leaves are rolled and left to oxidise in a warm and humid environment for about two to two and a half hours. Once the desired oxidation is reached, heat is applied to stop the process. While black tea is generally considered fully oxidised, there can still be variation in the level of oxidation depending on the desired flavour.

Black tea can be made through either the traditional orthodox method or the non-orthodox CTC (Crush-Tear-Curl) method, which will be covered in more detail in a separate chapter.

Tasting Notes:  Malty, Full-Bodied, Uplifting

Popular Flavours:  English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Masala Chai, Giddapahar Darjeeling, Wild Ancient

Dark tea refers to teas that have undergone post-fermentation, meaning they are aged after the initial processing stage. Unlike other types of tea that develop through enzymatic oxidation, dark tea is fermented through microbial activity that occurs during storage and aging.

One well-known type of dark tea is pu-erh, which originates from Pu'er City in Yunnan Province, China. While pu-erh is often used synonymously with dark tea, it is actually just one category within this broader group. There are many other types of dark tea produced in various regions of China.

Dark tea is traditionally consumed in highland or desert areas where fresh vegetables are scarce, and has long been used as a source of nutrients, often prepared with milk or butter as a warming beverage. The tea leaves are first pan-fired and rolled, then sun-dried to become mao cha, the base material for dark tea. This mao cha is then aged under specific temperature and humidity conditions to encourage microbial fermentation.

Depending on how the tea is aged, pu-erh is divided into two types: raw (生, raw pu-erh) and ripe (熟, ripe pu-erh). Beyond this, dark teas can be further classified by their final form, the cultivar used, growing region, and environmental conditions.

Tasting Notes:  Earthy, Mellow, Woody

Popular Flavours:  Raw Pu erh, Ripe Pu erh, Suixi Sheng Pu erh cake, Dragon Shou