Shade-grown tea fields under traditional netting before harvest.
DISCOVER THE LEAF

Tea Varieties

Six major types. Named teas you can open in one click. From Silver Needle to Da Hong Pao — origin, flavor, and how each leaf thinks.

The six major types of tea

All true tea comes from Camellia sinensis. What changes the cup is processing: how much the leaf oxidizes, whether it is steamed or pan-fired, and whether it ferments after drying. That is why green tea tastes bright and vegetal while black tea tastes malty, and why pu-erh can age like wine.

New to tea culture? Start with tea culture for beginners on Ceremony, then use the type map below for named leaves. Open any tea directly — you do not need a category page first. When you are ready to brew, continue in Brewing or choose vessels in Teaware.

All named teas

Jump to a variety below. Coming-soon cards are placeholders for guides still in progress — they are not broken links.

White Tea

2/2 guides

Minimally processed buds and leaves. Light, sweet, and airy — often the gentlest introduction to fine tea.

Silver Needle white tea buds covered in fine down.
WHITE

Silver Needle (Baihao Yinzhen)

The most prized of white teas, made only from top buds. Pale yellow liquor with a sweet, light, airy profile.
Bai Mu Dan tea leaves showing mixed buds and open leaves.
WHITE

Bai Mu Dan (White Peony)

Everyday white tea with buds and leaves. Floral, mellow, fuller-bodied than Silver Needle.

Yellow Tea

2/2 guides

A rare Chinese family. A sealed "yellowing" step softens astringency into mellow floral sweetness.

Pale yellow buds of Huang Ya yellow tea.
YELLOW

Huang Ya (Yellow Bud)

Rare yellow tea. The "yellowing" process softens bitterness while keeping delicate floral notes.
Junshan Yinzhen tea with needle-like buds.
YELLOW

Junshan Yinzhen

Grown on Junshan Island, Hunan. Needle-like buds with a honey-sweet cup after menhuang yellowing.

Green Tea

3/3 guides

Heat-fixed to stop oxidation. From West Lake Longjing to stone-ground matcha — vegetal, sweet, or savory umami.

Bright green matcha powder in a dark chawan.
GREEN

Matcha (Ceremonial Grade)

Shade-grown Tencha, stone-ground into vibrant powder. Centerpiece of Japanese tea ceremony; deep umami.
Flat jade-green Longjing tea leaves on a white surface.
GREEN

Longjing (Dragon Well)

Four wonders: emerald color, aromatic flavor, lingering sweetness, flat leaf. Hand-pan-fired near West Lake.
Spiral-rolled Biluochun tea leaves.
GREEN

Biluochun (Spring Snail)

Tight spiral pellets that unfurl when steeped. Floral and fruity, with a thick, brothy mouthfeel.

Oolong Tea

2/2 guides

Partially oxidized, from floral and creamy to dark and roasted. The widest flavor spectrum in tea.

Rolled Tie Guan Yin oolong leaves on a ceramic plate.
OOLONG

Tieguanyin (Iron Goddess)

Anxi oolong with orchid aroma and a velvety, honey-like finish that lingers on the palate.
Dark twisted Da Hong Pao leaves.
OOLONG

Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe)

Wuyi rock oolong. Deep roast: dark cocoa, caramel, and a long mineral finish.

Black Tea

1/2 guides

Fully oxidized. Malty, fruity, or muscatel — the daily cup of much of the world, and the base of classic blends.

Golden-tipped Keemun black tea.
BLACK

Keemun Mao Feng

Anhui black tea with cocoa, dried fruit, and subtle smoke — backbone of classic English breakfast blends.

Darjeeling first flush tea with delicate leaves.
BLACK COMING SOON

Darjeeling First Flush

Spring harvest from Himalayan foothills. Light, floral, muscat-like — the "Champagne of teas".

Guide in progress — not a link

Pu-erh

2/2 guides

Post-fermented Yunnan tea. Sheng ages slowly; shou is pile-fermented for an earthy, smooth cup now.

Loose leaf sheng pu-erh tea.
PU-ERH

Sheng Pu-erh (Raw)

Yunnan dark tea that ages like wine. Young sheng is bright and astringent; aged sheng turns deep and sweet.
Compressed fermented shou pu-erh tea cake.
PU-ERH

Shou Pu-erh (Ripe)

Accelerated fermentation: earthy, smooth, almost chocolatey. Approachable even for new drinkers.

Tools

Tools for choosing a path

A short chooser for your first leaf, plus matcha dose when powder is the form.

All tools