Longjing
Also known as Dragon Well, Lung Ching
Pan-fired into flat blades. Chestnut sweetness with a clean, buttery finish.
- Origin
- West Lake, Zhejiang, China
- Oxidation
- None
- Water
- 75–80°C
- Steep
- 1–2 min
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Tea Directory
42 teas by family, with where each comes from and how to brew it. Times and temperatures are starting points, not rules.
42 teas
Green
Oxidation halted early by steaming or pan-firing.
Biluochun
Also known as Green Snail Spring
Tightly curled downy spirals, grown among fruit trees. Delicate and faintly floral.
- Origin
- Dongting, Jiangsu, China
- Oxidation
- None
- Water
- 75–80°C
- Steep
- 1–2 min
Huangshan Maofeng
Slim downy leaves from high mountain gardens. Orchid-like, light and sweet.
- Origin
- Anhui, China
- Oxidation
- None
- Water
- 75–80°C
- Steep
- 2 min
Gunpowder
Rolled into dense pellets that keep well. Bold and smoky — the base of Moroccan mint tea.
- Origin
- Zhejiang, China
- Oxidation
- None
- Water
- 80°C
- Steep
- 2 min
Sencha
Steamed rather than pan-fired. Grassy, brisk, faintly marine.
- Origin
- Japan
- Oxidation
- None
- Water
- 70–80°C
- Steep
- 1 min
Gyokuro
Shaded for weeks before picking. Deeply savoury and sweet, with very little astringency.
- Origin
- Japan
- Oxidation
- None
- Water
- 50–60°C
- Steep
- 2 min
Matcha
Shade-grown and stone-ground. Thick, vivid and umami-heavy — you drink the leaf itself.
- Origin
- Japan
- Oxidation
- None
- Water
- 70–80°C
- Steep
- Whisked, not steeped
Bancha
Later-harvest leaf, coarser than sencha. Milder, straw-like, everyday drinking.
- Origin
- Japan
- Oxidation
- None
- Water
- 80°C
- Steep
- 1 min
Hojicha
Roasted until reddish-brown. Toasty and nutty, with the grassiness cooked away.
- Origin
- Japan
- Oxidation
- None (roasted)
- Water
- 90–95°C
- Steep
- 30 sec
Genmaicha
Green tea with roasted brown rice, some of it popped. Savoury, cereal-sweet, comforting.
- Origin
- Japan
- Oxidation
- None
- Water
- 80–85°C
- Steep
- 1 min
Kukicha
Also known as twig tea
Made from stems and stalks rather than leaf. Light, creamy and notably low in bitterness.
- Origin
- Japan
- Oxidation
- None
- Water
- 80°C
- Steep
- 1 min
White
Barely handled — withered and dried, little more.
Silver Needle
Also known as Bai Hao Yin Zhen
Unopened buds covered in silver down. Melon-sweet, soft, almost weightless.
- Origin
- Fuding, Fujian, China
- Oxidation
- Very light
- Water
- 80–85°C
- Steep
- 3–5 min
White Peony
Also known as Bai Mu Dan
Bud plus two leaves. Fuller than Silver Needle — hay, apricot, a little depth.
- Origin
- Fujian, China
- Oxidation
- Very light
- Water
- 85°C
- Steep
- 3–4 min
Shou Mei
Mature leaf picked late. Darker and fruitier, and it ages well with keeping.
- Origin
- Fujian, China
- Oxidation
- Light
- Water
- 90°C
- Steep
- 3–4 min
Yellow
Like green, plus a slow smothering step. Rare.
Junshan Yinzhen
One of the rarest Chinese teas. Mellow and sweet, with the grassiness smoothed off.
- Origin
- Junshan Island, Hunan, China
- Oxidation
- Light, with smothering
- Water
- 80°C
- Steep
- 2–3 min
Huoshan Huangya
Tender yellow buds. Gentle, corn-sweet, with a soft finish.
- Origin
- Anhui, China
- Oxidation
- Light, with smothering
- Water
- 80°C
- Steep
- 2–3 min
Oolong
Partially oxidised, spanning floral to deeply roasted.
Tieguanyin
Also known as Iron Goddess of Mercy, Ti Kuan Yin
Rolled into tight green pearls that unfurl dramatically. Intensely floral, orchid and lilac.
- Origin
- Anxi, Fujian, China
- Oxidation
- Light (10–30%)
- Water
- 90–95°C
- Steep
- 30 sec, repeated
Da Hong Pao
Also known as Big Red Robe
A roasted rock oolong. Mineral, dark stone fruit, cocoa — the classic yan yun, "rock rhyme".
- Origin
- Wuyi Mountains, Fujian, China
- Oxidation
- Heavy (50–70%)
- Water
- 95–100°C
- Steep
- 20–30 sec, repeated
Dong Ding
Also known as Tung Ting
Rolled and lightly roasted. Balanced between floral and toasty, with a buttery body.
- Origin
- Nantou, Taiwan
- Oxidation
- Medium (25–40%)
- Water
- 90–95°C
- Steep
- 40 sec, repeated
Oriental Beauty
Also known as Bai Hao Oolong, Dongfang Meiren
Made from leaf nibbled by leafhoppers, which shapes its flavour. Honeyed, ripe, muscatel.
- Origin
- Hsinchu, Taiwan
- Oxidation
- Heavy (60–80%)
- Water
- 85–90°C
- Steep
- 1 min
Jin Xuan
Also known as Milk Oolong
A cultivar with a naturally creamy texture. Often sold as "milk oolong" — the good ones are unflavoured.
- Origin
- Taiwan
- Oxidation
- Light (15–25%)
- Water
- 90°C
- Steep
- 40 sec, repeated
Phoenix Dan Cong
Also known as Dancong
Single-bush teas named for the aromas they mimic — almond, gardenia, honey orchid.
- Origin
- Phoenix Mountain, Guangdong, China
- Oxidation
- Medium to heavy
- Water
- 95°C
- Steep
- 15–20 sec, repeated
Black
Fully oxidised. Known in China as hong cha, red tea.
Keemun
Also known as Qimen Hong Cha
Wine-like and faintly smoky, with cocoa and dried fruit. A backbone of English breakfast blends.
- Origin
- Qimen, Anhui, China
- Oxidation
- Full
- Water
- 90–95°C
- Steep
- 3 min
Lapsang Souchong
Dried over pinewood fires. Assertively smoky — the unsmoked original is far subtler.
- Origin
- Wuyi Mountains, Fujian, China
- Oxidation
- Full
- Water
- 95–100°C
- Steep
- 3 min
Dianhong
Also known as Yunnan Red
Golden-tipped and malty, with cocoa and sweet potato. Smooth rather than brisk.
- Origin
- Yunnan, China
- Oxidation
- Full
- Water
- 90–95°C
- Steep
- 3 min
Assam
Full-bodied, malty and brisk. Built to take milk.
- Origin
- Assam, India
- Oxidation
- Full
- Water
- 95–100°C
- Steep
- 3–4 min
Darjeeling (first flush)
Spring picking, barely oxidised despite being sold as black. Floral, green-edged, delicate.
- Origin
- West Bengal, India
- Oxidation
- Light to medium
- Water
- 85–90°C
- Steep
- 2–3 min
Darjeeling (second flush)
Summer picking. Rounder and fruitier, with the muscatel note the region is known for.
- Origin
- West Bengal, India
- Oxidation
- Medium to full
- Water
- 90°C
- Steep
- 3 min
Ceylon
Varies sharply with elevation. High-grown is bright and citrusy; low-grown is dark and strong.
- Origin
- Sri Lanka
- Oxidation
- Full
- Water
- 95°C
- Steep
- 3 min
Nilgiri
Smooth and fragrant with low astringency. Holds up unusually well iced.
- Origin
- Tamil Nadu, India
- Oxidation
- Full
- Water
- 95°C
- Steep
- 3 min
English Breakfast
A blend rather than an origin, built for strength and consistency with milk.
- Origin
- Blend — typically Assam, Ceylon, Kenya
- Oxidation
- Full
- Water
- 95–100°C
- Steep
- 3–4 min
Earl Grey
Black tea and oil of bergamot. Citrus-floral over a malty base.
- Origin
- Blend, scented with bergamot
- Oxidation
- Full
- Water
- 95°C
- Steep
- 3 min
Dark & aged
Microbially fermented after drying, often pressed.
Sheng pu-erh
Also known as raw pu-erh
Raw pu-erh, often pressed into cakes. Bracing and bitter when young, softening over years.
- Origin
- Yunnan, China
- Oxidation
- Light, then slow fermentation
- Water
- 95–100°C
- Steep
- 10–20 sec, repeated
Shou pu-erh
Also known as ripe pu-erh
Ripe pu-erh, fermented deliberately since the 1970s. Earthy, smooth, dark and mellow.
- Origin
- Yunnan, China
- Oxidation
- Accelerated fermentation
- Water
- 100°C
- Steep
- 10–20 sec, repeated
Liu Bao
Aged in baskets, traditionally shipped to Southeast Asia. Woody, betel-nut, faintly medicinal.
- Origin
- Guangxi, China
- Oxidation
- Post-fermented
- Water
- 100°C
- Steep
- 20 sec, repeated
Tisane
No tea leaf at all — herbs, flowers, roots and bark.
Rooibos
Also known as redbush
Naturally caffeine-free. Sweet, woody and red, and hard to over-steep.
- Origin
- Cederberg, South Africa
- Oxidation
- n/a
- Water
- 100°C
- Steep
- 5–7 min
Honeybush
A rooibos relative, rounder and sweeter, with a honeyed aroma.
- Origin
- Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Oxidation
- n/a
- Water
- 100°C
- Steep
- 5–7 min
Chamomile
Dried flower heads. Apple-like and gently floral.
- Origin
- Egypt, Croatia and elsewhere
- Oxidation
- n/a
- Water
- 95–100°C
- Steep
- 5 min
Peppermint
Sharp, cooling and clean. Strong enough to carry a blend on its own.
- Origin
- Widely grown
- Oxidation
- n/a
- Water
- 100°C
- Steep
- 5 min
Hibiscus
Also known as karkade, agua de jamaica
Dried calyces that brew a vivid crimson. Tart and cranberry-like.
- Origin
- Egypt, Sudan, Mexico
- Oxidation
- n/a
- Water
- 100°C
- Steep
- 5–7 min
Lemongrass
Bright citrus without sourness. Blends well with ginger and mint.
- Origin
- Southeast Asia, widely grown
- Oxidation
- n/a
- Water
- 100°C
- Steep
- 5 min
Ginger
Pungent and warming in flavour. Best decocted rather than steeped.
- Origin
- Widely grown
- Oxidation
- n/a
- Water
- 100°C
- Steep
- 8–10 min, or simmered