Tea Drinking of Beginners: Kinds of Tea

So you have your tea supplies for tea drinking. We got the most basic supplies so you can get started on trying tea. The next step is deciding on what kind of tea should you get? That is always the million dollar question! It really depends on what you like because everyone’s tastes are different. I highly recommend going to a tea store. Not a store that has tea on the shelf, I am talking a store dedicated to selling tea. You will learn more about tea than you ever thought you could. Also, they let you smell the teas. Your sense of smell is the biggest factor in whether something tastes good to you. Your first tea purchase you should be in one of these stores after smelling a lot of teas and deciding what you like.  

Advice for the Tea Store 

Depending on what kind of a salesperson you get, they might try to convince you to buy a lot of tea. Let’s face it, it is their job to sell tea. I always feel obligated and let people talk me into doing stupid things all of the time. But I will tell you this, stay strong buttercup. Don’t let the nice tea store people convince you to buy too much! I will say it again, “Do not buy a lot of tea until you know you like it.” Anymore, I rarely buy more than 2 ounces of one kind of tea at a time. I have a few staples that I keep around the house and I will buy them in larger quantities, but that is it. 

If you tell the sales person you are new to tea and trying to learn what types of teas you like they usually get really excited. I think every worker I have ever met in any kind of a tea store is super enthusiastic. I’m thinking it must be a hiring requirement. I do not have a tea store anywhere that close to me, the closest one is over 2 hours away as far as I know. Because of that I to shop online at Teavana and I look closely to reviews. Since I have an idea of what I like I can usually read the reviews and know if I will like it. 

I am a huge supporter of local business (being a local business myself) so if I happen upon a local tea shop I will always buy something. I highly encourage you to do the same thing. But if you are in an area like me, then going online might be your first resort and a tea store stop is only a special occasion. 

What are the Different types of tea? 

There are many different types of tea to pick from! They all have different traits, tastes and benefits. It is not strange for a loose leaf tea drinker to enjoy a lot of different types of tea. I think I have 8 of the different types of tea in my cupboard dedicated only to tea right now. 

 White Tea – White teas are actually the least processed of the types of tea. They have very little caffeine which means they are great for anyone that is sensitive to it. Because it is delicate steeping this tea takes some practice. If tea is steeped too long it becomes bitter, it can be hard to a beginner to get it just right. But remember, practice makes perfect and you can always work up to them. Because they are more sensitive and delicate I have found the make great iced teas. When it cools down your tea immediately there is less time for it to get bitter. One of my favorite White Teas is the Youthberry White Tea. It has a unique but delicious taste for any kind of weather.  

Green Tea – Green tea originates from China and Japan and are produced almost completey in Asia. Green teas are some of my favorites and the Jasmine Pearl teas are my favorite of all of them (this is one of my teas that I have a whole bunch of on hand). Green teas usually have more caffeine than White Teas and their health benefits have been well documented. 

Oolong Tea – This is another Asian tea and it is slightly fermented. There are variation among different types of Oolong that depend on how much they are fermented. This type of tea has songs about it. That is some serious tea people. In the Oolong section is where you start getting into Chai Teas which are another of my favorite and the Maharaja Chai Tea is on the top of my list. 

Black Tea – As I stated in my first blog post, black teas are not usually my favorite. But they are by far the most popular. They are most of the teas in tea bags,almost any breakfast tea is black, and they are the highest in caffeine. A black tea is a fully fermented tea versus the partial fermentation of Oolong. Hands down, my favorite black tea is the Teavana Chocolate Chai! It’s smooth and delicious and I cannot get enough of it on these cool fall days. 

Herbal Teas – Herbal Teas do not contain any of the tea leaves that the 4 other teas I discussed contain. These teas usually contain a mix of dried fruits, herbs. or even flowers. These teas are completely caffeine free so they are great to drink any time of the day, even right before bed. There are two other types of herbal teas I will write about next, but the most common are a mixture that includes dried fruit, hibiscus, and rosehips. This is my favorite type of tea, but if I had to pick one is would be the Blueberry Bliss and Kona Pop mixture. It is to aromatic and delicious and it makes a great iced or hot tea. 

 Roobios Teas – These are one of the types of Herbal Teas I was talking about. A Roobios is a usually red tea and it originates in South Africa. Roobios is a caffeine free tea whether you drink a red or green roobios. Often these teas are blended with other types of tea to make a tea you would buy in a store. My favorite roobios tea is their Caramel Chai! Since it is fall I am very into my Chai teas and this one is no exception to the deliciousness. 

Mate Teas – Mate teas are from the South American yerba mate plant. A mate tea tends to have a strong, bold taste and coffee drinkers tend to prefer this type of tea. My favorite mate tea is a blend called Raspberry Riot Lemon Mate Tea, it is fruity and refreshing, especially when it is warm out as an iced tea. It has a raspberry lemonade taste to it. 

 

Now you know a little more about each type of tea. In my next post I will talk about the next step… Steeping tea. It can sound overwhelming for someone who has no idea what they are doing, so I will go through the steps for how to make the perfect cup of tea!  If you have any questions don’t forget to send them to me. If I get enough I will do a Tea question and answer post.