Classification of Tea in the World

Home , Black tea, Chinese tea, Fermented tea, Yellow tea

Classification

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Chinese system Japanese system dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd dd

Non-fermented Tea dd

dd dd dd dd

dd Green Tea dd dd dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd dd

Rolling ―――――→ Drying ――――――――――――――――→ dd

dd dd

→ Steaming ――――→ dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd

（緑茶） dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd

（緑茶） dd dd dd dd dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd

→ dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd

Light Post-Heating dd

dd dd dd dd

dd Yellow Tea dd dd dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd dd

――――→ Light Rolling ――→ Drying → → Drying ―→ Post-heating dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd

Fermentation dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd

（黄茶） dd dd dd dd dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd dd

fermented Tea dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd

→ Panning ― dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd dd

Post-Heating Black colored tea （後発酵茶） dd dd dd dd dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd dd

Rolling ―――――→ Drying → ――→ Drying → dd

dd dd

――――→ dd

dd dd

Fresh dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd dd

Fermentation dd

dd （黒茶） dd dd dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd

Tea dd

dd dd dd dd

dd White Tea dd dd dd

Light dd dd

Leaves dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd dd

――→ Drying ――――――――――――――――→ dd

dd dd

――――→ dd

dd dd dd dd

dd （白茶） dd dd dd

dd Fermentation dd dd dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd

Semi-fermented Tea dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd dd

（半発酵茶） dd

dd dd dd dd

dd Blue Tea dd dd dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd dd

→ Withering → Parching → Rolling ―――→ Drying ――――――――――――――――→ dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd

（青茶） dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd dd

Fermented Tea dd

dd Black Tea dd dd dd

dd dd dd dd

dd dd

Rolling ―→ Fermentation→Drying ――――――――――――――――→ dd

dd dd

→ dd dd dd dd dd

dd dd dd dd

ddg ddg cdd （発酵茶） cdd

ddg （紅茶） ddg cdd cdd

ddg ddg cdd cdd

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There are different systems of tea classification in tea（Oolong tea）or fermented tea（Black tea）, the China and Japan. Chinese tea is basically divided leaves are withered, rolled, and incubated for 5 to 20 into six groups: Lu-cha（Green tea, 緑茶）, Huang- hours without applying high temperature. During cha（Yellow tea, 黄茶）, Hei-cha（Black colored tea, this step, so called fermentation process, oxidizing 黒茶 , not Black-tea）, Bai-cha（ White tea, 白茶）, enzymes are especially active and change tannin Qing-cha（Blue tea, 青茶）and Hong-cha（Red and other substances in raw leaves to the oxidized colored tea, 紅茶, implied Black tea）. forms. As a result, the color of the leaves become On the base of method of processing Japanese typically brown or red and their taste and aroma system classifies tea to three groups:Non-fermented enhanced as in Black tea and Oolong tea. tea, Semi-fermented tea and Fermented tea. In this Green tea, Oolong tea and Black tea can be text, we used Japanese classification system in produced from all of tea cultivars by each addition to one more term, post-heating fermented manufacturing process. Of course, among cultivars, tea. we know the difference in amino acid and tannin The critical aspect is the way of activation of contents. Generally, the leaves containing much oxidizing enzymes（e.g. polyphenol oxidase and amino acid and small quantity of tannin are suitable peroxidase）contained in the leaves. During for green tea. Varieties rich in tannin, on the other fermentation procedure, oxidizing enzymes become hand, are very good for Black tea and Oolong tea. In active, result in changing the color of tea from green view of this, breeders for Green tea, Oolong tea, and to brown. Black tea intensively produce many cultivars. Green tea, non-fermented tea, is manufactured by Taste of post-heating fermented tea has a marked the following procedures. After being plucked, fresh bitterless. After tea leaves are plucked, panned, leaves of tea immediately treated with high dried, they are pile up during a few weeks（post- temperature（100 ℃ in the steam method or 300-350 heating fermentation）and finally dried. This type of ℃ in the pan-fired method）in the factory in order to tea tastes characteristically an odor like lactic acid inactivation of oxidizing enzymes of leaves. The drinks, produced by microorganisms. Puercha in color is undoubtedly green as its name, because China is most famous and a longer storaged one is inactivated enzymes do not break down the more expensive. Tokushima’s Awabancha, Kouchi’s chlorophyll. Green tea making process will be Goishicha and Toyama’s Kurocha are also post- explained later in detail（see page 24）. heating fermented teas in Japan but slightly in In the first step of processing of semi-fermented quantities. Japanese Green Tee

Four Major Type of Tea

Non-fermented tea（Japanese green tea） Fermented tea（Black tea）

Green tea Oolong tea Black tea

Semi-fermented tea（Oolong tea） Post-heating fermented Tea（Cake-Tea）

Unique Tea in the World

Cake tea is unique form, manufactured over than one thousand years ago in China. A method of preparing this tea was described by Lu Yu in the first book on tea, published in China about 780 AD. The cake tea described by Lu Yu was wrapped in bamboo for the sake of transportation.

Small Cake-Tea Flower shape（Green tea）

Cake-Tea wrapped in bamboo Cake-Tea wrapped in fruit peel Typical cake tea