Generally speaking, there are two types of key switches
Tactile - you feel a bump right when the key is activated
Linear - The key just slides up and down smoothly
Speaking of MX Cherry, they have several models. The most common are 4 models, 2 linear and 2 tactile.
MX Blue - Tactile with a click - 55g actuation force
As you can see, the switch actually has 2 pieces inside. After it hits the 'bump' (tactile) it sends a piece of plastic to slam into the bottom of the key, creating a 'click' sound.
MX Brown - Tactile, no click - 45g actuation force
It looks exactly the same, but only has 1 piece of plastic. This means you get the bump, but not the click. Any sound you hear is from you hitting the bottom of the key.
The difference between these two is hysteresis. Both keys (and most keys in general) travel 4mm.
Look at the blue - the key doesn't activate until it is 2.5mm down. The brown activates at 2mm
From there, look at where they reset. The blue has to be lifted off all the way until it can be 'clicked' again, where the key is 1.5mm from being completely let go. The brown resets at the same point it activates. This is the main difference between the two, besides the noise.
MX Red: Linear - 45g actuation force
As you can see, there is no 'bump' it just slides up and down. It has the same 2mm actuation point, but the reset point is also at 2mm. Since you will be bottoming out the key all the time, you don't have to worry about hitting a dead spot.
MX Black - Linear - 60g actuation force
Black is just like red, for the most part, but has a much stiffer spring inside. It all comes down to preference.
They both activate and reset at nearly the same point.
The Blues are marketed as the 'typing key'. It is really not that suitable for gaming, but a lot of people still like it. It is very noisy, and will bother everyone around you, especially if you type fast for long periods of time.
Red and Black are the 'gamer' keys, at least in terms of marketing. I am typing this on a red right now, for the first time, and I actually find it to be really good!
Brown is supposed to be the 'hybrid' key. It basically feels like a red, but with a very slight tactile bump. It's hardly noticeably really, when you compare it to an MX Blue or a Topre which I have been using for a month.
My recommendation is to try several types, and see which one you like best. It all really comes down to preference. I didn't expect to like the reds at all for typing, but as I write this, it is really very nice. Then again the keyboard I am using (Deck Francium) is a very high quality board, with high quality keycaps.
Hope this helps a bit! For more info check out my reviews.