Black tea.

Green tea.

Herbal tea.

We all have our favourite. But what exactly is the difference between these types of tea. And are they really tea at all?

The short answer is:
- Yes.
- Yes and no.
- No.
Black tea is a product of the leaves and buds of the Camellia Sinensis plant, known commonly as tea. During the processing of black tea, the leaves are allowed to ferment, causing the dark colour, rich flavour and relatively high caffeine content.

Green tea is also a product of the Camellia Sinensis plant. But the leaves are processed and dried in such a way as to make sure that no fermentation occurs. The result is a light, crisp, clear low-caffeine hot beverage.

Herbal tea, on the other hand, isn't a tea at all. So-called herbal teas don't come from the tea plant. Delicious though they are, herbal teas are actually infusions from a range of different colourful, flavourful and aromatic plants.

So, to be completely accurate, it's best to refer to black or green tea as "tea." But if your tastes run to a hot herbal beverage, best to call it an "infusion" or, if you want to be terribly posh use the ancient word and call it a "tisane."

But in our view, whatever you call it, whether black, green or herbal, there's nothing better than a nice cup of tea.