Earl Grey tea is a tea blend with a distinctive flavour and aroma derived from the addition of oil extracted from the rind of the bergamot orange, a fragrant citrus fruit.

Traditionally the term "Earl Grey" was applied only to black tea; however, today the term is also applied to green teas, including white tea and oolong, and tisanes, such as rooibos, that contain oil of bergamot. Because of Earl Grey's aroma and Twinings' distinctive packaging in England with Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, the tea is sometimes called "Old Stinky."

Darjeeling tea, tea from the Darjeeling region in West Bengal, India, has traditionally been prized above all other black teas, especially in the United Kingdom and the countries comprising the former British Empire. When properly brewed it yields a thin-bodied, light-colored liquor with a floral aroma. The flavor also displays a tinge of astringent tannic characteristics, and a musky spiciness often referred to by tea connoisseurs as "muscatel." A sweet cooling aftertaste should be felt in the mouth.

Unlike most Indian tea, Darjeeling is normally made from the small-leaved Chinese variety of Camellia sinensis, C. sinensis sinensis, not the large-leaved Assam plant (C. sinensis assamica). Traditionally Darjeeling tea is made as black tea; however, Darjeeling, oolong and green teas are becoming more commonly produced and easier to find, and a growing number of estates are also producing prized white teas.

Black tea from the Fujian province of China. Lapsang Souchong tea (also called Russian Caravan tea) has a famously smoky aroma and flavor. To create this, tea leaves are dried in bamboo baskets over pine fires, achieving a perfect balance of smoke and tea flavor.

Dian hong is a Chinese black tea which is used as a relatively high end gourmet black tea and is sometimes used in various tea blends. The main difference between Dian hong and other Chinese black teas is the amount of fine leaf buds, or "golden tips," present in the dried tea. Finer Dian hong teas produces a brew that is brassy golden orange in colour with a sweet, gentle aroma and no astringency. Cheaper varieties of Dian hong produce a darker brownish brew that can be very bitter.

Pu-erh, Pu'er tea, Puer tea or Bolay tea is a type of tea made from a "large leaf" variety of the tea plant Camellia sinensis and named after Pu'er county near Simao, Yunnan, China.

Pu-erh tea can be purchased as either raw/green (sheng) or ripened/cooked (shou), depending on processing method or aging. Sheng pu-erh can be roughly classified on the tea oxidation scale as a green tea, and the shou or aged-green variants as post-fermented tea. The fact that pu-erh fits in more than one tea type poses some problems for classification. For this reason, the "green tea" aspect of pu-erh is sometimes ignored, and the tea is regarded solely as a post-fermented product. Unlike other teas that should ideally be consumed shortly after production, pu-erh can be drunk immediately or aged for many years; pu-erh teas are often now classified by year and region of production much like wine vintages.

While there are many counterfeit pu-erhs on the market and real aged pu-erh is difficult to find and identify, it is still possible to find pu-erh that is 10 to 50 years old, as well as a few from the late Qing dynasty. Indeed, tea connoisseurs and speculators are willing to pay high prices for older pu-erh, upwards of thousands of dollars per cake.

In South Africa it is more common to drink rooibos with milk and sugar, but elsewhere it is usually served without. The flavour of rooibos tea is often described as being sweet (without sugar added) and slightly nutty. Rooibos can be prepared in the same manner as black tea, and this is the most common method. Unlike black tea, however, rooibos does not become bitter when steeped for a long time; some households leave the tea to steep for days at a time. Rooibos tea is a reddish brown colour, explaining why rooibos is sometimes referred to as "red tea". Unlike some higher quality oolong or green teas, rooibos is often only good for a very limited re-steeping as there is a sharp drop off in brewing after the first infusion.

Oolong is a traditional Chinese tea (Camellia sinensis) somewhere between green and black in oxidation. It ranges from 10% to 70% oxidation.

In Chinese tea culture, semi-oxidized oolong teas are collectively grouped as qingchá. Oolong has a taste more akin to green tea than to black tea: it lacks the rosy, sweet aroma of black tea but it likewise does not have the stridently grassy vegetal notes that typify green tea. It is commonly brewed to be strong, with the bitterness leaving a sweet aftertaste. Several subvarieties of oolong, including those produced in the Wuyi Mountains of northern Fujian and in the central mountains of Taiwan, are among the most famous Chinese teas.

Oolong tea leaves are processed in two different ways. Some teas are rolled into long curly leaves, while some are pressed into a ball-like form similar to gunpowder tea. The former method of processing is the older of the two.

The aroma of Keemun is fruity, with hints of pine (like in Lapsang souchong), dried plum and floweriness (but not at all as floral as Darjeeling tea) which creates the very distinctive and balanced taste. Keemun contains less caffeine than Assam tea. It also displays a hint of delicious orchid fragrance and the so-called 'China tea sweetness. The tea can have a more bitter taste and the smokiness can be more defined depending on the variety.

Keemun is typically enjoyed without milk or sugar; however, it goes well with milk.

This is a Nilgiri Tea from South India, grown at 5000 feet above sea level. The tea has an interesting fruity floral-like maltiness, that is unique to teas from the Nilgiri area of India. It is a stronger tea suitable for breakfast time.

Nonsuch is one of the best Nilgiri district teas in league with Tiger Hill and Glendale. The Nilgiri area is in Southern Central India and certainly well suited to the production of tea. The cooler temperatures of the mountains and abundant rainfall ensure superb cropping conditions. Generally Nilgiri teas resemble better Ceylon teas but tend to be somewhat more delicate in their flavour. Nonsuch has a hint of fruitiness that is quite distinct to the Nilgiri area.

Lipton was created at the end of the 19th century by Sir Thomas Lipton in Glasgow, Scotland. His enterprise soon flourished and he established a chain of grocers, first across Glasgow, the rest of Scotland, until finally he had stores throughout Britain.

Under the slogan “direct from the tea gardens to the tea pot”, this entrepreneurial businessman wanted to make tea a popular and approachable drink for everyone – with a high quality but reasonably priced product.

Gunpowder tea is a form of green Chinese tea produced in Zhejiang Province of China in which each leaf has been rolled into a small round pellet. It is believed to take its English name from the fact that the tea resembles gunpowder pellets used for cannons (see Etymology). This rolling method of shaping tea is most often applied either to dried green tea (the most commonly encountered variety outside China) or Oolong tea.

Gunpowder tea production dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618–907) but it was first introduced to Taiwan in the 1800s. Gunpowder tea leaves are withered, steamed, rolled, and then dried. Although the individual leaves were formerly rolled by hand, today most gunpowder tea is rolled by machines (though the highest grades are still rolled by hand). Rolling renders the leaves less susceptible to physical damage and breakage and allows them to retain more of their flavor and aroma. In addition, it allows certain types of oolong teas to be aged for decades if they are cared for by being occasionally roasted.

When buying gunpowder tea it is important to look for shiny pellets, which indicate that the tea is relatively fresh. Pellet size is also associated with quality, larger pellets being considered a mark of lower quality tea. High quality gunpowder tea will have small, tightly rolled pellets.

Chai tea is a rich and complex beverage that has been savored for centuries in many parts of the world, especially India.

In its most basic form, chai is black tea that is brewed strong with a combination of spices and is diluted with milk and sugar.

The spices vary from recipe to recipe, but usually consist of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, pepper and ginger. Chai tea is traditionally consumed hot and sweet. The sweetness is needed to bring out the full flavors of the spices.

Chado, or the Way of Tea, is a comprehensive cultural practice that embraces the arts, religion, philosophy, social life -- virtually every aspect of life. A practice such as this is truly rare. The ideals underlying the Way of Tea are known in Japanese as Wa, Kei, Sei, Jaku. In English, these are Harmony, Respect, Purity, and Tranquility. Over the past fifty years, I have personally sought to impart the spirit of this Way to people worldwide, expressing my goal through the phrase, "Peacefulness through a Bowl of Tea." I sincerely hope that, through this Urasenke Konnichian web site, knowledge of Chado will reach far and wide around the globe, and its ideals might further contribute to the attainment of genuine World Peace and Happiness, the mutual goal of all humanity.

Pekoe tea is a fine grade of tea which includes young tea leaves and buds. When well handled and brewed, the tea has a rich forest-like scent with a hint of bitterness and a sweet finish. Pekoe has long been prized as one of the finest of teas, and it has always been a popular Chinese export. Most markets carry Pekoe, and it is also usually available from stores which specialize in tea.

The name “pekoe” comes from the Chinese pek, meaning “white,” and ho, which means “down or feathers.” It is a reference to the fine white hairs which appear on tightly furled young tea buds when they are harvested to make pekoe tea. The individual pekoe leaves tend to be rather small and fine, and they will become wispy when they unfold in hot water. Pekoe itself is also graded, with the highest grade including two tea leaves around a tight tea bud.

India, Sri Lanka, and Java all produce this tea, which is sometimes labeled as “bud and leaf tea,” in a reference to the highest available grade. Once harvested, the pekoe can be treated in various ways to create a finished tea. It is usually bruised and allowed to oxidize so that it turns into black tea, although green pekoe tea is also produced in some places. Once the tea is finished, it may be packaged in loose leaf form or broken so that it will fit into teabags.

Many people are familiar with orange pekoe, a rather confusingly labeled form of pekoe tea. Orange pekoe is not flavored with orange, as one might expect from the name. Rather, the tea is named for the royal Dutch House of Orange, which was in power when the Dutch East India Company first began importing tea. The company wanted to imply that they had associations with the royal family, so they appended “orange” to “pekoe.” The ploy made orange pekoe tea quite popular.