Tea 101: Tea Families

We’ve all heard of black tea, green tea, and herbal tea. But what are the differences?

Each tea belongs to a tea family, which is determined by two main criteria:

• By main ingredient. Herbal teas and fruit teas are botanicals. They are generally caffeine-free and do not derive from the tea plant. The remaining tea families all come from the same tea plant: Camellia sinensis.
• By processing techniques. Each tea family undergoes a unique combination of tea-making processes, as illustrated below