All about tea

BLACK TEA

Of the five types of tea that are made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis (the others being oolong, yellow, white and green teas), black tea is the most oxidized and has the generally strongest flavour.  

GREEN TEA

With a very long history in China, green tea is now widely renowned for its natural goodness which results from its relative lack of processing compared to black tea.

SENCHA GREEN TEA

Sencha green tea is the most popular tea in Japan. In contrast to Chinese green tea (which is subject to dry heat), sencha is steamed to prevent oxidization of the leaves, which are then rolled, shaped and dried. 

WHITE TEA

White tea is produced from the Camellia sinensis plant by harvesting very young buds and leaves and then minimally processing them to produce a very special, delicate tea.

OOLONG

Oolong is a traditional semi-oxidized Chinese tea, falling somewhere between black and green teas in some of its characteristics.

INFUSIONS

ROOIBOS

Rooibos (pronounced roy-boss) is Afrikaans for 'red bush' and describes the South African plant and the product from which it is made. A popular, caffeine-free infusion with an earthy flavour.

YERBA MATE

Yerba mate is a South American plant making a caffeine-containing infusion which is extremely popular in Paraguay and Argentina.

FRUIT TISANE

Fruit tisanes are infusions with fruit as the major ingredient, although they often also include herbal, floral and other natural ingredients.

HERBAL TISANE

Herbal tisanes are infusions with herbs as the major ingredient, although they often also include floral and other natural ingredients.