Green Tea:

Unfermented tea (fermentation degree 0). Representative teas include: Mengding Ganlu, Rizhao Green Tea, Lu'an Guapian, Longjing Tea, Meitan Cuiya, Biluochun, Meng'er Tea, Xinyang Maojian, Ziyang Maojian Tea.

Yellow Tea:

Lightly fermented tea (fermentation degree 10–20%). Huoshan Huangya, Meng'er Yinzhen, Mengding Huangya.

During processing, the leaves undergo piling and yellowing, resulting in yellow leaves and yellow liquor. It is divided into "Yellow Bud Tea" (including Junshan Yinya from Dongting Lake in Hunan, Mengding Huangya from Ya'an and Mingshan County in Sichuan, Huoshan Huangya from Anhui), "Yellow Small Tea" (including Beigang in Yueyang, Hunan, Weishan Maojian in Ningxiang, Hunan, Pingyang Huangtang in Zhejiang, Luyuan in Yuan'an, Hubei), and "Yellow Large Tea" (including Dayeqing, Huoshan Huangda Cha in Anhui).

Oolong Tea:

Also known as Oolong tea, it is semi-fermented, meaning that moderate fermentation gives the leaves a slight reddening. It is a type of tea between green tea and black tea. It has both the freshness of green tea and the sweetness of black tea. Because the center of the leaf is green and the edges are red, it is called "green leaves with red borders." However, the new high-quality Anxi Tieguanyin from Gande, Changkeng, and Xianghua has no such feature in its latest light-fragrance production method. In particular, the lower villages of Gande (Xiayun Village, Xiachun Village, etc.) are typical representatives of this method. Representative teas include: Tieguanyin, Dahongpao, Dongding Oolong Tea.

Black Tea:

Fully fermented tea (fermentation degree 80–90%). Keemun Black Tea, Lychee Black Tea. Black tea mainly includes three categories: Lapsang Souchong, Gongfu Black Tea, and Broken Black Tea. Gongfu black tea is mainly produced in Guangdong, Fujian, and Jiangxi, with Chaoshan Gongfu tea being the most prominent.

The difference between black tea and green tea lies in the processing method. During black tea production, the leaves are not pan-fried but withered to lose some moisture, then rolled (into strips or cut into granules) and fermented, causing the tea polyphenols to oxidize into red compounds. Some of these compounds dissolve in water, while others accumulate in the leaves, forming red liquor and red leaves. Black tea is warm in nature.

Dark Tea:

Post-fermented tea (fermentation degree 100%). Pu'er Tea, Liubao Tea, Hunan Dark Tea (Qujiang Bo Pian, Jin Tea).

The raw materials are coarse and aged. During processing, the leaves are piled and fermented for a longer time, turning them dark brown and then pressed into bricks. Dark tea was originally mainly sold to border regions and is an indispensable daily necessity for Tibetan, Mongolian, Uyghur, and other brotherly ethnic groups. The main varieties include "Shaanxi Xianyang Fu Brick Tea," Yunnan "Pu'er Tea," "Hunan Dark Tea," "Hubei Old Green Tea," "Guangxi Liubao Tea," and Sichuan "Border Tea."

White Tea:

Mildly fermented tea (fermentation degree 20–30%). Baihao Yinzhen, Bai Mudan. During processing, the leaves are neither fried nor rolled. Only the tender leaves covered with white down are sun-dried or gently dried over low heat, preserving the white down intact. White tea is mainly produced in Fujian's Fuding, Zhenghe, Songxi, and Jianyang counties. Varieties include "Yinzhen," "Bai Mudan," "Gongmei," and "Shoumei." White tea reveals noticeable white down. Well-known examples include Baihao Yinzhen from northern Fujian and Ningbo, as well as Bai Mudan.

Others:

In Taiwan, the tea plant varieties include Wuyi Tea, Hongxin Dakou, Huangxin Dakou, Hongxin Oolong, Huangxin Oolong, Shuixian, Ruanzhi Hongxin, Taiwan Tea No. 14 (Baiwen), Taiwan Tea No. 15, Taiwan Tea No. 16, Taiwan Tea No. 17 (Bailu), Danshui Qingxin, Foshou, Wuzhi, Meizhan, etc., but they occupy smaller areas and are not widespread. Tea classification — based on the degree of roasting.

During the refining process, roasting is an important step that changes the quality of the tea liquor. Proper roasting can effectively improve tea quality.

Classification by Season

1. Spring Tea — refers to tea picked from late March to mid-May. Spring has moderate temperatures and adequate rainfall. After a half-year winter rest, the tea plants produce plump buds with vibrant green color and soft leaves, rich in vitamins, especially amino acids. This gives spring tea a lively taste and pleasant aroma, along with health benefits. Anxi County's Yinxiang Tea Cooperative produces Tieguanyin, a representative oolong spring tea known for its exceptional appearance and liquor color. (Another example: Lu'an Guapian, Shanlong Black Tea).

2. Summer Tea — refers to tea picked from early May to early July. In hot summer weather, the tea plant's new shoots grow rapidly, reducing the water-extractable content that dissolves in the tea liquor. The decrease in amino acids makes the taste and aroma less intense than spring tea. Higher levels of bitter and astringent components like anthocyanins, caffeine, and tea polyphenols result in more purple leaves with uneven color and a more bitter and astringent taste. (Examples: Pu'er Tea, Maple Tree Tea).

3. Autumn Tea — refers to tea picked after mid-August. Autumn conditions lie between spring and summer. After growing in spring and summer, the new shoots have relatively lower internal substances. The leaves vary in size, the leaf base is brittle, and the color turns yellow. The taste and aroma are relatively mild. (Examples: Tieguanyin, Yuemeixiang).

4. Winter Tea — generally picked from late October onward. Winter tea is harvested after the autumn tea season, as the climate gradually turns cold. Due to slow growth of new shoots, internal substances accumulate more, resulting in a mellow taste and rich aroma. (Example: Dongding Oolong).

Reprocessed teas made from various raw or refined teas are called reprocessed teas, mainly including scented tea, compressed tea, liquid tea, instant tea, and medicinal tea.

Medicinal Tea — blending medicinal herbs with tea leaves to create a tea that enhances the efficacy of the medicine, improves solubility, increases aroma, and harmonizes the taste. There are many varieties, such as "Wushi Tea," "Ginger Tea Powder," "Longevity Tea," "Slimming Tea," "Puliangzhi Tea," etc.

Scented Tea — a relatively rare variety of tea. It uses the fragrance of flowers to enhance the aroma of the tea and is highly popular in China. Typically, green tea is used as the base, though black tea or oolong tea is occasionally used. This process exploits tea leaves' tendency to absorb odors, using scented flowers as the scenting material. Commonly used flowers include jasmine, osmanthus, and orchids, with jasmine being the most common. Globally, black tea has the largest production volume, followed by green tea, with white tea being the least produced.