O.K. So Americans are predominantly coffee drinkers, but you might want to give tea a chance … there are many perks to tea; for one thing, the varieties are manifold. Teas fall into basic categories with myriad choices within each category.
The first two categories of course are teas made from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, and herbals, which can be made from a variety of plants. Now, within the first category, those made from leaves of the tea plant, there are several sub categories; black, oolong,green and white.
Black teas are those that have gone through the most oxidation and are usually of more intense flavor.
Oolong is a classic Chinese tea produced through a unique process of wilting under the strong sun and oxidation before curling and rolling.
Green teas are made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis that have undergone minimal oxidation during processing and have a lighter flavor than Blacks and Oolongs.
White teas are very lightly oxidized. They are grown and harvested primarily in China, mostly in the Fujian province. They have a light but distinctive flavor.
In addition to the above there is another very special category of teas called
Pu-erh tea, also spelled as Pu'er tea. Thi is a variety of fermented dark tea produced in Yunnan province, China. Pu-erh is perhaps the most special and certainly the most expensive of all teas. It is fermented, aged and like a fine wine, comes in vintage. It often come pressed into interesting form and being a rare and special product, it is usually individually wrapped. It make a lovely gift for the tea lover.
Herbal Teas can and have been made of most any edible plant, including but not limited to rose hips, mulberry leaves, hibiscus, chamomile, catnip, hops, the mints, licorice, oat straw, wheat straw, dandelion, marigolds and myriad others, each laying claim to various health benefits.
Yerba Mati tea, although classed as an herbal, does contain a lot of caffeine.
As you can see, the choice of teas are darn near infinite.
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