Types and Classification of Tea

Classification

Green Tea
  • Dukkeum Tea: Most of green tea produced in Korea, Longjing teaㆍByeokracheonㆍRishi Tea Jade Fire etc. of China
  • Some domestic hand-made tea, Japanese green tea, Chinese Eunshi Gyokuro
Blue Tea
  • Wu Yi Rock Tea: Da Hong PaoㆍIron Archatㆍ Wu Yi Rock Shui Shien
  • Tieguanyin Tea: Anxi Tieguanyin ㆍSeoam Tieguanyin (Canton)ㆍMaokong Tieguanyin (Taiwan)
  • Shui Shien Tea: Northern Fujian Shui Shien ㆍSouthern Fujian Shui Shien ㆍCanton Shui Shien ㆍTaiwan Shui Shien
  • Oolong Tea: Northern Fujian Oolong ㆍ Southern Fujian Oolong ㆍTaiwan Oolong
  • Baihao Oolong Tea: Hyangbin Oolong
  • Pouchong Tea: Moonsan Blue TeaㆍDongjung Blue Tea
  • Sezhongs : Southern Fujian Sezhongs ㆍCanton Sezhongs
White Tea
  • Rishi Silver NeedleㆍDan White TeaㆍShou Mei
Black Tea
  • DarjeerlingㆍKeemun black teaㆍSouchong black tea
Yellow Tea
  • Gunsan Silver NeedleㆍMen ding huang yaㆍGunsan Mao Jian
Dark Tea
  • Liu Pao Tea ㆍHonam Dark Tea ㆍ Dark Brick Tea
Puer Tea
  • Loose leaf tea: Includes Puer Leaf tea and raw leaf tea of solid tea.
  • Solid tea: Yunnan chitsu pingchaㆍBricksㆍDan tea

Classification by degree of fermentation

Classification by degree of fermentation

  • Tea(茶)
    • Unfermented Tea – Green Tea – Roasted Tea /Steamed Tea
    • Semi-fermented Tea – Yellow Tea – Blue tea/Oolong Tea
    • Full Fermentation Tea – Black Tea
    • Post-fermented Tea- Puer Tea

Classification by Season

It can be classified into Spring teaㆍSummer teaㆍAutumn tea.

Spring tea
  • First-brewed tea: Made with leaves harvested from Goku(4.20) to the first ten days of May, it is highly savory and tender.
Summer tea
  • Second-brewed tea: Made with leaves harvested from mid-June to late-June, it has strong taste.
  • Third-brewed tea: Made with leaves harvested from early August to middle August, it has strongly bitter taste.
Autumn tea
  • Fourth-brewed tea: Made with leaves harvested from late September to early October, it has rough form due to plentiful fiber.

Classification by the Collection Period

Ujeon Tea

Ujeon Tea

It is highly soft tea collected before Kogu(4.10), tender and fragrant.

Sejak

Sejak(細茶, tender tea)

(細茶, tender tea)
It is tender tea collected from Kogu to the start of summer(5.5), tasty and fragrant.

Jungjak

Jungjak(中茶, regular tea)

(中茶, regular tea)
Tea collected around 10 days after the start of summer, leaves grown bigger than Sejak.

Daejak

Daejak(大茶, Wangjak)

(大茶, Wangjak)
Rough tea made with leaves more hardened than Jungjak until the last ten days of May.

Maljak

Maljak(final tea)

(final tea)
IAs the end of the first tea, it is coarse tea collected until stems get hardened.

Spear(槍, Chang) and Flag(旗, Ki) of Tea Leaves

  • Spear(槍, Chang) got its name for its rolled-up spiky new buds, resembling the spear.
  • Flag(旗, Ki) means slightly shrunken tender leaves that came out before the spear but not fully spreaded, resembling the flapping flag.