photo credit: shutterstockTea 101: A speedy primer
It seems like the types of tea on the market are unending, so what’s the difference between each one? According to Michelle Pierce Hamilton, registered holistic nutritionist, TAC tea sommelier and owner of beTeas Inc., all teas actually come from a single plant genus: the Camellia sinensis. The six categories are known as white, green, yellow, oolong, black (called red tea in China) and dark tea or puerh. While each is processed in a different way, all tea comes from the same plant, so they all have similar health benefits. Other herbal “teas” such as lavender, ginseng, chamomile and mint are more properly called tisanes and come from a variety of different plants, which means they have their own unique properties and health benefits.
