Tea comes in various colors depending on the level of oxidation (or fermentation) of the tea leaves before processing. Different types of tea have different effects on health.
White Tea
White tea is primarily harvested in early spring, consisting only of the tender young leaves, which are rare on each bud. These soft young leaves are always covered with a protective layer of fine hairs, maintaining their white color; they are preserved throughout the processing and handling to ensure quality. To prevent oxidation, these young tea leaves are first treated with steam. During drying, care is taken to ensure that the leaves do not curl or warp, as this preserves the value of this high-quality tea. White tea requires great care and skill during processing, which is why it is always more expensive than other types of tea. It is believed that white tea is a beverage of the aristocracy.
Red Tea
Those unfamiliar with tea often mistakenly refer to the drink served in casual eateries as “karkade,” but that is not the case. Karkade refers to lower-quality tea, while red tea is produced by drying and infusing flower petals. In fact, the fermentation level in red tea is beneficial for individuals with cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, and issues related to the kidneys and liver. Red tea is truly a nutritious beverage, as it contains a high level of tannins and catechins, which are twice as much as in black tea. Depending on the processing technique, approximately 30 different types of red tea can be produced.
Green Tea
This is the “older sibling” of white tea, as it is processed using a similar technology. However, older (mature) tea leaves are chosen instead of the young leaves (or buds) used for white tea. This is why this type of tea is always cheaper than white tea. The leaves often curl and twist during the processing and drying. However, they are not fermented, which is why green tea always contains many beneficial minerals and trace elements for health. Green tea is believed to contain numerous anti-cancer compounds and a higher amount of vitamin C than any other tea.
Black Tea
Black tea is thought to be a product of laziness. According to some historians, when workers grew weary with bags of freshly picked tea leaves on the plantations, they could not carry them all back to the processing area. As a result, these bags of tea leaves were left on the hillside. After a night of warmth and the influence of mist on the tea hills, these bags swelled and released their aroma by the next morning. However, instead of quickly drying them, the plantation owner decided to keep them and process them into a different type of tea. The strong fermentation that occurred gave this tea its unique fragrance. However, due to the prolonged fermentation process, some beneficial compounds and vitamins were lost in black tea…
