White, Green, Oolong, and Black Tea? – How Are They Different?

A great question we often get asked, is to explain the differences between the different types of tea that we sell on fusionteas.com. Mainly the questions are focused on understanding the differences between white, green, oolong, and black teas.

First it is important to understand that all these varieties come from the same plant – Cameilla Sinensis. It is during harvesting and processing that the differences between the tea types come about.

White Tea – White teas are delicately hand-plucked only once a year in early spring. When they are plucked they are simply withered and dried with the least amount of processing. They are not oxidized, so they retain their natural antioxidants, but not as much flavor. However, many find the subtle sweet flavors of white teas provide an exquisite tea drinking experience.

Here are some of our top selling white tea blends:
Tangerine White Tea– Made with orange peel and tangerine flavor, the subtle hint of citrus in this white tea is pleasant without being overbearing.
Silver Needle White Tea – Supreme Yinzhen Silver Needle tea is the rarest of all white teas, finest grade and the most superior of all teas.
Raspberry Champagne White Tea – White tea, safflowers with champagne flavor and red raspberry flavors.

Green Tea-Green tea is only slightly processed and oxidized. The oxidation process is halted by pan frying or steaming the leaves. Typically the Chinese green teas are fried and the Japanese green teas are steamed. We offer mostly Japanese steamed tea styles because of the pleasant, clean, and refreshing aroma it provides. Both white and green teas retain high levels of antioxidants that provide numerous documented health benefits (I’ll get more into that in a future blog post).

Here are some of our top selling green tea blends:

Jasmine Flowers Green Tea – A sweet floral scent with green tea undertones, that is very refreshing, with a lingering aftertaste that is delicately sweet.
Super Fruit Sencha Green Tea – Gojiberry, blueberry and pomegranate flavors play the lead rolls in this green tea masterpiece.

Oolong Tea– There is a lot of art that goes into a great oolong, and there are many varieties ranging from low to high levels of oxidation. Sometimes referred to as Wu Long, the leaves are intentionally bruised to release additional flavor. The color of this type of tea is dark green, but it may also be black, at times. Oolong tea has a unique flowery and earthly flavor. However, darker Oolongs have a buttery and roasted flavor. Compared to green tea, Oolongs have less antioxidants and more caffeine.

Here are some of our top selling oolong tea blends:

Very Velvet Oolong Tea – This tea combines the subtle but distinctively floral quality of traditional green oolong with a gentle and sweet berry flavor.
Monkey Picked Oolong Tea – This is a remarkable tea that can be enjoyed through multiple infusions.
Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea – Incredibly sweet and lush with a delicate warm spicy undertone that creates an extremely smooth silky cup.

Black Tea – As with white, green and oolong, black tea comes from the Camellia Sinensis plant, and is the most consumed tea in the world. Black tea leaves are fully oxidized so they provide full, rich, and complex flavors. With about 45 mg of caffeine per cup it is a nice pick me up with an abundance of antioxidants that support the heart.

Here are some of our top selling black tea blends:
Premium Earl Grey – This soft, highly aromatic bergamot black tea is of the highest quality
Tulsi Chai Black Tea – The minty aroma and flavor of tulsi blends very naturally with the traditional chai ingredients.
Organic English Breakfast Black Tea – There’s beauty in simplicity, and elegance in tradition

In summary, on a scale of processing and oxidation levels, on one side you have White and Green Tea, and on the other is Black Tea. In the middle is Oolong. We hope you try them all and let us know which style is your favorite!