I have learned that one of the main reasons for roasting tea in the beginning was to preserve it for transportation overseas that might take months.
Of course, many people as a result now have a preference for the taste of roasted tea. However, some prefer the taste of unroasted, green tea, which is very different, and, with modern means of transportation, available to everyone.
Which brings me to ask, do some people like the taste of coffee brewed from green coffee beans? Is that even an option?
I think you have some misconceptions about tea. It is the _green_ teas that are heated, sometimes by roasting or pan frying but most commonly by steaming. The _black_ teas are fermented without heat.
Try it and you'll know the answer to your question.
Better check your facts The difference between green and black tea is that the latter has been allowed to oxidize (polyphenol oxidase-dependent oxidative polymerization). Both green and black teas are pan-fired--a process necessary to stop the oxidation (to prevent it from happening with green, or to stop it from continuing with black). Green teas can also be steamed instead of pan-fired; I don't think black teas are steamed, though I believe they can also be smoke-fired. But it's the oxidation that helped preserve it, not roasting.
Oolong is between green and black--it is partially oxidized.
For a well-made outline of these processes, see:
Consider: green beans keep far longer than roasted beans. Green beans can keep for a year under decent storage conditions, whereas roasted beans last about two weeks, unground. So why do people drink coffee made from roasted beans? It tastes much better. I've tasted "white coffee," which is coffee made from severely under-roasted beans (literally, an off-white/pale green color), and it was pretty bad.
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