Simple Classification Rules for Finished Tea
Tea has been categorized many ways: by the color of the finished leaves, the color of the tea liquor, and by the percentage of oxidation the tea has gone through during processing. I recognize 7 major types of tea as they relate to the processing methods that created them: green, yellow, white, oolong, black, post-fermented, and post-processed. If you are reading a book that doesn’t recognize yellow tea or any of the post-fermented teas, please burn it immediately. Under each tea type of tea are tea styles that can be loosely categorized by the variations in processing each style undergoes, these styles can also vary based on the variety of the plant being used and it’s terroir (soil, climate, altitude, latitude). Put simply using green tea as an example, green tea is a type and the different kinds of green tea are styles.
Examples:
Type – Green / Style – Bi Luo Chun (China)
Type – Green / Style – Longjing (China)
Type – Green / Style – Giddapahar Green Delight (India)
So what I’m saying here is that tea is first defined as a type by a set of core processing steps it undergoes, then as a style by variations in those processing steps, by variety, then by terroir. I add terroir last because the same variety may be cultivated (when a variety is cultivated, it is called a cultivar) in several different regions. For more on cultivars and varieties, see this article.
Want one more layer of complexity? Sure you do. The same exact finished tea can exhibit different characteristics based on the time of year harvested. Most growing regions in India have 4 distinct growth periods or flushes. You can have the same type, style, and terroir, but different harvest seasons.
Examples:
Type – Black / Style – FTGFOP / Terroir – Margaret’s Hope Estate, Darjeeling India / Harvest – 1st Flush
Type – Black / Style – FTGFOP / Terroir – Margaret’s Hope Estate, Darjeeling India / Harvest – 2nd Flush
Type – Black / Style – FTGFOP / Terroir – Margaret’s Hope Estate, Darjeeling India / Harvest – Monsoon Flush
Type – Black / Style – FTGFOP / Terroir – Margaret’s Hope Estate, Darjeeling India / Harvest – Autumnal Flush
Traditionally, tea styles require a specific processing method, cultivar and terroir. Over time, many old definitions have changed to become broader (like white tea and pu-erh). Demand for teas defined by tiny processing areas or rare varietals brought about clones and the clones meant that the definitions changed over time. Some people still hold that a tea must adhere to the original definition to be authentic and “best.” Bai Hao Yin Zhen (“White Hair Silver Needle”) is an example of this, some hold that unless this tea is made from the “Da Bai” cultivar of Camellia sinensis grown in Fuding, Fujian China, it is not truly Bai Hao Yin Zhen — what then would you call this same tea grown in Yunnan? China lacks a formal appellation system to protect tea names and terroirs so it’s basically a free for all.
I'm writing a full-length book on tea. No history, just practical tea information and SCIENCE!
Tony, this is a sheerly awesome effort. Classifying tea isn’t easy, but I agree that’s it’s definitely something that needs to be done.
We’ve done a few things differently, which makes this endeavour all the more interesting!
For example, I omitted pluck (FTGFOP, etc) from the classification system because most plucks are available for most teas. I did this because China uses a different pluck grading system from India, and CTC teas don’t use it at all. Most teas area also available in most plucks (except for the few cases where a far superior pluck changes the name of the tea), so I omitted it from my own classification system.
I will keep checking back on your progress here. This project is really interesting!
What will your book be called?
James
I’m working between 3 titles with the publisher now. Will know soon.
It wasn’t easy but I had to start somewhere and make building blocks. The plucks are different everywhere, I tried to not include them in the classification, I was only using the Indian tea as an example that the same plant / same pluck / same processing can differ based on when it was harvested. I felt it was important to start with this post to lay down some important terminology that I build upon here and in the book — that tea *types* are green/yellow/white/oolong/etc and tea *styles* are the variances within a type… i.e. bi luo chun, liu an gua pian, etc.
Hi Tony, this is great. I really wish we could have such a classification system in China. I spend so many hours quality checking all the teas that I have to buy. There is indeed no classification system, but I think if there was one, the hard part is to implement such a system.
The average loose tea trader can just tell you everything if you don’t know about tea. Only the reputable branded teas are motivated to sell the real thing, because the risk losing their brand value.
What are your thoughts on this?
Hi Online Tea Shopping Addict,
Can you give me an example of some teas you’ve found that don’t fit into any classification system? While looser in China, I do feel as if there is some semblance of classification unless you can show me otherwise. Thanks!