Archive · 21 Sep 2025
Decoding Tea's Colors: A Guide to Various Tea Types
Tea comes in many colors, but what they're named for can be confusing!
Black tea is dark because of oxidation, while green tea stays green because it isn't oxidized.
White tea is named for the fuzzy buds.
Yellow tea is a special kind of green tea.
Purple tea gets its color from a special plant.
Also, the article notes that many brands will name some of their colors after tea types.
All in all, tea colors are not as simple as they seem!
Black tea is called 'red tea' (Hong Cha) in China, referring to the color of the brew.
Green tea is unoxidized and can range in color from yellow to green.
White tea is named for the fuzzy buds of the tea plant.
Yellow tea is a green tea variant with an extra 'menghuang' step.
Purple tea is a varietal with increased anthocyanins, resulting in a purple hue.
- Who
- Aravinda Anantharaman
- What
- Explains the different colors and classifications of tea.
- When
- The article was posted on a bi-weekly basis.
- Where
- N/A
- Why
- To clarify the names and brewing of different types of tea.
- Black Tea
- Also known as Hong Cha, named for liquor color in China.
- Green Tea
- Unoxidized, liquor ranges from yellow-hued to green.
- White Tea
- Named for the downy hair on tea buds.
- Yellow Tea
- A green tea variant with an added 'menghuang' step.
- Purple Tea
- An Assamica varietal with increased anthocyanins, cultivated in Kenya.
- Oolong Tea
- Also known as blue or blue-green tea.