Bits of Knowledge about Different Kinds of Teas

I drink tea every day. Since I bought an appliance called a French press, which is supposed to be used to make coffee, I have been using it as a tea infuser to make tea. I usually make about a liter of tea in the morning and drink it throughout the day. For now, I have three kinds of teas: black, green, and Oolong. I pick one for the day and drink them in a rotation.

All of the three have distinct smells and tastes, and their colors are different as well. Green tea is green, as it says. Oolong tea has a yellowish brown color, and black tea has a dark brown color. However, one thing that I've noticed was that these teas all eventually get to be similar dark brown color by the end of the day. I looked up the cause of this phenomenon and found that it is because catechin contained in teas is oxidized as time goes and becomes darker in color.

In fact, these different kinds of teas are actually made out of leaves from exactly the same plant called Camellia sinensis. The differences are only due to the different duration spent for their fermentation, which makes them be oxidized. So, basically, if the leaves do not get fermented, they become green teas with the lighter color. If the leaves get half fermented, they become Oolong teas with a little darker color. Finally, if the leaves get fully fermented, they become black teas. Aha, that makes sense!

Well, actually the tea I like the most for a daily drink is roasted barley tea, which is the one I grew up with. Today, my friend from Hong Kong told me that he likes to drink Goya tea, which is made out of a bitter squash. Hmm, I assume it is supposed to be pretty good for one's health. I may look for it! Anyway, it is interesting to know what kind of tea people from different places love to drink :)