Chinese tea is a kind of beverage made from the leaves of tea plants and boiled water. Tea leaves are processed using traditional Chinese methods. Chinese tea is can consumed throughout the day, including during meals, as a substitute for plain water, for health, or for simple pleasure. Most of the Chinese teas are made from one plant called Camellia Sinensis. It is an evergreen shrub that can grow into a small tree and is native to Southeast China. The plants can live for up to 100 years and the leaves are harvested year round.
However, from one plant, it can produce more than thousands of teas. From a single plant, tea manufacturers can use it to produce teas with its own unique flavor and it is solely due to 4 basic elements which are:
1. Region where the plant is located; soil and altitude are key factors
2. Time of harvesting the leaves - early, middle or late in each season
3. Method of harvesting – picking only buds or buds with leaves
4. Processing – withering, rolling, oxidizing, drying, fermenting and aging
After it is manufactured, its flavor also will be different due to how the consumer prepared before drinking.
Chinese Tea- Types
1. Green Tea
Chinese green tea is the oldest and most popular type of tea; it has been enjoyed in China for several thousand years. Green tea is made from the new shoots of the tea plant, and the tea leaves are dried and processed according to the type of tea desired.
The techniques for processing green tea are sub-divided into three categories: water removing, rolling, and drying. Traditional green tea has a pale color and a sharp, astringent flavor.. The most famous green tea is West Lake Dragon Well Tea, which is produced in Hangzhou.
2. Yellow Tea
Yellow tea is produced by allowing damp tea leaves to dry naturally. It has a distinctive aroma, similar to red tea, but its flavor is closer to green and white teas. Yellow tea is also used to describe the high-quality tea that was served to the emperors, as yellow was the traditional imperial color.
3. White Tea
White tea is unfermented, uncured green tea that has been quickly dried. It is indigenous to Fujan Province, and is lighter in color than other types of tea with a subtle, delicate flavor. White tea got its name from the tradition of poor Chinese people offering plain boiled water to guests, if they had no tea, and calling it "white tea". Popular brands of white tea are White Peony and Silver Needle.
4. Oolong Tea
Oolong tea, also known as blue tea, is unfermented tea with unique characteristics. Made from a blend of green and red teas, oolong tea boasts the best flavors and aromatic qualities of both. Sometimes called "green leaves with a red edge", oolong tea is thought to aid in fat decomposition and is widely regarded as a weight loss aid and a beauty enhancer.
Wenshan Baozhong Tea and Dongding Oolong Tea are two exemplary brands of this popular tea.
5. Black Tea
Black tea is the second largest category of Chinese tea. It is made from the new shoots of tea leaves, which are wilted, rolled, fermented, and dried. The resulting infusion yields a lovely red color and a subtle aromatic fragrance. Keemun is the most popular brand of black tea.
6. Dark Tea
Dark tea is a kind of post-fermented tea, which undergoes an actual fermentation process aided by bacteria. The whole process comprises six steps: water removing, first-time rolling, heaping, second rolling, baking, and drying.
It is generally acknowledged that dark tea originated in the 16th century in Anhua City, Hunan Province.
7. Pu'er Tea
Pu'er tea is actually a dark tea, but deserves a category on its own because of its distinguishing features. According to Yunnan government's definition, Pu'er tea must be tea that is made from a large-leaf variety of a plant growing in a defined area, which is then processed into compressed tea or brick tea with a specified technology.
Pu'er tea was listed as a geographical indication product' by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine on August 5, 2008. It stipulates that only tea produced in Yunnan's 639 towns in 11 prefectures and cities, including Pu'er and Dali, can be called Pu'er tea.
There are two distinct types of Pu'er tea: the raw or green Pu'er & the ripened or black Pu'er.
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