Did you know that after water, tea is the most widely-consumed beverage in the world? 

Tea has a cooling, sweet-yet-slightly-bitter and astringent flavour that many enjoy.

All tea comes from leaves of this species of plant called Camellia sinensis. Tea leaves contain flavonoids, amino acids, vitamins and antioxidants. In some cultures, tea is considered a very healthy drink and is taken with every meal, or even throughout the entire day.

Flavoured tea is very popular nowadays and it is usually a blend of fruits, flowers or other leaves with leaves from the Camellia sinensis.

Many of the herbal or floral teas that we drink today are not really tea, since they do not contain anything from the Camellia sinensis plant. Rather, they are more like infusions, and contain a blend of fruits, flowers, roots and leaves of plants other than the Camellia sinensis.

The four types of tea most commonly found on the market are black tea, oolong tea, green tea and white tea. The differences lie in the way the leaves are prepared and cured.

Tea leaves that have been picked are first withered to remove moisture. Then, they are rolled to release the natural juices and aromas. After that, they are oxidized (the common term used is fermentation, which sounds a little odd) by exposing them to air. Finally, they are fired to dry the leaves evenly.

Black tea
Leaves that undergo all four processes described above are called black tea. The popular varieties of black tea include the Assam tea, the Darjeeling tea and the black Ceylon tea.

Oolong tea
Oolong teas are partially oxidized and they should be brewed around 90 °C to 100 °C for best results. High quality oolong can be brewed multiple times from the same leaves, and unlike green tea, oolong improves with reuse. It is common to brew the same leaves three to five times, with the third steeping usually being the best.

Green tea
Tea leaves that do not undergo oxidization results in green tea. The water for making green tea should be around 80 °C to 85 °C. Usually, the higher the quality of the leaves, the lower the temperature should be. Hotter water will burn green-tea leaves, producing a bitter taste.

White Tea
The process of making white tea is similar to that of green tea. But white tea comes from leaves that are picked before they are fully opened – tea buds that contain fine silvery white hairs. Because green tea and white tea undergo the least processing, they are widely believed to be more healthy then the other teas.