Rooibos tea is a tea brewed pretty much exclusively from the plant Aspalathus linearis, and it is becoming a more popular beverage to drink in part due to its taste (being semi-sweet and less bitter than green and black tea) and having a low to no caffeine content, as well as marketing suggesting its antioxidant properties are healthful.
White tea is the most delicate of all teas. They are appreciated for their subtlety, complexity, and natural sweetness. They are hand-processed using the youngest shoots of the tea plant, with no oxidation. When brewed correctly, with a very low temperature and a short steeping time, white teas can produce low amounts of caffeine. Of course, steeping with hotter temperature and longer time will extract more caffeine. But by definition, white tea does not have less caffeine than other teas.
Like green tea, matcha comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. However, it is grown differently and has a unique nutrient profile. Farmers grow matcha by covering their tea plants 20–30 days before harvest to avoid direct sunlight. This increases chlorophyll production, boosts the amino acid content and gives the plant a darker green hue. Once the tea leaves are harvested, the stems and veins are removed and the leaves are ground up into a fine powder known as matcha.
Black tea is allowed to wither, which precedes a process called oxidation during which water evaporates out of the leaf and the leaf absorbs more oxygen from the air. Black teas usually undergo full oxidation, and the results are the characteristic dark brown and black leaf typical of the robust and pronounced flavors of black teas, and when brewed appropriately, a higher caffeine content compared to other teas.
Green tea is allowed to wither only slightly after being picked. Then the oxidation process is stopped very quickly by firing the leaves. Therefore, when brewed at lower temperatures and for less time, green teas tend to have less caffeine. Greens also tend to produce more subtle flavors with many undertones and accents that connoisseurs treasure.
Teaware is a broad international spectrum of equipment used in the brewing and consumption of tea. Many components make up that spectrum and vary greatly based upon the type of tea being prepared.