Chinese Tea Categories


According to the different methods by which it is processed,  Chinese tea may be classified into five categories: Green tea, Black tea, Oolong tea, Compressed tea,  and Scented Tea

1. Green tea 
Green tea is the variety that keeps the original color of the tealeaves without fermentation during processing. This category consists mainly of Longjing tea of Zhejiang Province, Maofeng of Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province and Biluochun produced in Jiangsu.  Here lists the best Chinese green ten as below:

Biluochun Tea Longjing Tea Huangshan Maofeng Tea
Luan Guapian Tea Xinyang Maojian Tea Lushan Yunwu tea

Green Tea is the most natural of all Chinese tea classes. It's picked, natural dried, and then fried briefly (a process called "killing the green") to get rid of its grassy smell. Green Tea has the most medical value and the least caffeine content of all Chinese tea classes. Aroma is medium to high, flavor is light to medium. About 50% of China's teas are Green tea.


2. Black tea  (红茶, literally means "red tea" in Chinese)
Black tea, known as "red tea" in China, is the category which is fermented before baking; it is a later variety developed on the basis of the green tea. The best brands of black tea are Qihong of Anhui, Dianhong of Yunnan, Suhong of Jiangsu, Chuanhong of Sichuan and Huhong of Hunan.

Yunnan Pu'er Tea Keemun Black Tea Anhua Black Tea

Chinese Black tea produces a full-bodies amber when brewed. Black tea undergoes withering (drying), left to ferment for a long while, and then roasted. Black tea leaves become completely oxidized after processing. Black tea has a robust taste with a mild aroma. It contains the highest amount of caffeine in Chinese tea classes.

Compressed tea is the kind of tea that is compressed and hardened into a certain shape. It is good for transport and storage and is mainly supplied to the ethnic minorities living in the border areas of the country. Most of the compressed tea is in the form of bricks; it is, therefore, generally called "brick tea", though it is sometimes also in the form of cakes and bowls. It is mainly produced in Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. 

Most Chinese Compressed Tea uses Black Tea as base tea. Compressed Tea has all the characteristics of Black Tea. It can be stored for years and decades. Aged Compressed Tea has a tamed flavor that Compressed Tea fans would pay huge price for.


3. Oolong tea
This represents a variety half way between the green and the black teas, being made after partial fermentation. It is a specialty from the provinces on China's southeast coast: Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan.

Wuyi Rock Tea Fenghuang Dancong Tea Anxi Tieguanyin Tea

Typical Oolong Tea leaves are green in the middle and red on the edges as a result of the process to soften tealeaves. Oolong Tea leaves are withered and spread before undergoing a brief fermentation process. Then Oolong Tea is fried, rolled and roasted. Oolong Tea is the chosen tea for the famous Kung Fu Cha brewing process. It's the serious Chinese tea drinker's tea. Aroma ranges from light to medium. Beginners in Oolong Tea should be careful as even though flavor is only mild to medium, the tea could be very strong.


4. White Tea
White tea earned this name by the extensive coverage of fine white hairs that resemble the color of silver and snow on the tea leaves. The color of the soup is yellow-green and the taste is fresh, mild and mellow. Chinese white tea is an assortment of light-fermented tea, made only by drying in the sun or over low heat. The main planting regions lie in Fuding, Zhenghe, Songxi and Jianyang towns in Fujian Province of southeast China.

5. Scented Tea
This kind of tea is made by mixing fragrant flowers in the tea leaves in the course of processing. The flowers commonly used for this purpose are jasmine and magnolia among others. Jasmine tea is a well-known favorite with the northerners of China and with a growing number of foreigners.

Longji Tea
Lobster Flowers Tea / Zhangjiajie Guilin Osmanthus Tea Longji Tea

It is subdivided into Flower Tea and Scented Tea. Flower Tea is a simple concept that dried flowers are used, without much processing, to make tea. Scented Tea uses green tea, red tea as base and mix with scent of flowers. Chinese Scented Tea has light to medium flavor and medium to strong aroma.


6. Herbal Tea
Chinese herbal tea, also known as medicine tea, is made from herbs that have healthcare functions and curing effect on some physical ailments. There are thousands of years of practice on drinking herbal tea among Chinese people. The herbal tea might be dried leaves, flowers, bark, seeds or roots of herds. Different herbal tea has different effects. Herbs can be used either singly or combined with other herbs, depending on what kind of outcome is needed. 
Maoyanmei Tea   /Zhangjiajie Duzhong Tea  / Zhangjiajie Leicha, Prounded tea

Tea and Minority Groups 
The Three-Course Tea of the Bai ethnic minority is a dramatic tea ceremony. This ceremony was originally held by the senior members of a family to express best wishes to juniors when they were going to pursue studies, learn a skill, start a business or get married. Now, to drink Three-Course Tea has become a conventional ceremony when people of the Bai ethnic minority greet guests. 

Bamboo Tube Tea of Dai  Three-Course Tea of Bai Tibetan Butter Tea 
Fight between Dragon and Tiger Tea Dong Ethnic Minority Oil Tea Mongolian Tea with Milk

How to select tea?
Aside from the variety, tea is classified into grades.Selecting tea is a subject of knowledge.  Generally, appraisement of tea is based on five principles, namely, shape of the leaf, color of the liquid, aroma, taste and appearance of the infused leaf.

Speaking of the shape of the leaf, there are flat, needle-like, flower-like, and so on. The judgment is usually made according to the artistic tastes of the tea tasters.

The evenness and transparency of the leaf will decide the color of the liquid. Excellent liquid should not contain rough burnt red leaves or red stems.

Aroma is the most important factor in judging the quality of a kind of tea. Putting 3 grams leaves into 100 milliliters boiled water, people can judge the quality of the tea by the smell from the liquid.

The judgment should be completed through the taste of the liquid and the appearance of the infused leaves. 


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