Cloudy Valley, Formosa tea

In a narrow sense, tea refers to dried tea leaves made from the leaves of the tea plant, processed through oxidation or roasting.

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Types of Tea Based on Oxidation Levels

1. Qing (or Greenish) Tea
   • Oxidation Level: Semi-oxidized (18–60%)
   • Characteristics: Tea liquor ranges from golden to brown. Commonly referred to as “oolong tea," this category emphasizes a balance between aroma and roasting.
   • Common Taiwanese Varieties: Pouchong, High Mountain Oolong, Dong Ding Oolong, Jin Xuan Oolong, Four Seasons Spring, Muzha Tieguanyin.
   • Common Chinese Varieties: Wuyi Rock Tea (Da Hong Pao, Shui Xian, Rou Gui, Bai Ji Guan), Anxi Tieguanyin.

2. Black Tea
   • Oxidation Level: Fully oxidized (100%)
   • Characteristics: Tea liquor is deep red, focusing on rich aroma and robust taste.
   • Common Taiwanese Varieties: Taiwanese Assam, Ruby Red (Hong Yu).

3. Green Tea
   • Oxidation Level: Non-oxidized (0%)
   • Characteristics: Processed by de-enzyming (fixation) without roasting. Tea liquor is bright green to yellow-green, emphasizing “fresh sweetness."
   • Common Taiwanese Varieties: Biluochun.

4. White Tea
   • Oxidation Level: Slightly oxidized
   • Characteristics: Simplistic production process involving natural withering and drying. White tea preserves the original flavor and nutrients of tea leaves, with visible silvery fuzz on the dry leaves.
   • Common Chinese Varieties: Silver Needle (Bai Hao Yin Zhen), White Peony (Bai Mu Dan).
5. Yellow Tea
   • Oxidation Level: Lightly oxidized (10–20%)
   • Characteristics: Undergoes a unique “yellowing" process that enhances the tea’s mellow flavor and delicate aroma. Tea liquor is a distinctive golden hue.
   • Common Chinese Varieties: Junshan Silver Needle, Mengding Yellow Bud.
6. Dark Tea (Hei Cha)
   • Process: Involves fixation, rolling, piling (artificial fermentation), and drying.
   • Characteristics: Tea leaves are dark, with liquor ranging from reddish-brown to amber. The flavor is rich, smooth, and sweet with a distinctive aged aroma.
   • Representative Varieties: Pu’er tea, Hunan Dark Tea (Fuzhuan, Liubao Tea).

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Types of Tea Based on Roasting Levels

1. Raw Tea
   • Tea that has not undergone roasting.
2. Ripe or Half-Ripe Tea
   • Tea that has been roasted, with roasting intensity often described in terms of “degrees of fire."

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Exception: Pu’er Tea

For Pu’er, the terms raw and ripe refer to whether the tea has undergone “pile fermentation":

• Raw Pu’er: Unfermented Pu’er tea.
• Ripe Pu’er: Fermented through pile fermentation.