Mandarin Go | Chinese Tea

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China has a rich and sophisticated tea culture. The Chinese have a common saying, “Seven things in the house: firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea”. It can be seen from the saying that tea plays an important role in Chinese people’s daily life.

It is universally acknowledged that China is the first country to grow, produce and drink tea. Drinking tea has become a daily habit of Chinese people. The art of tea making and drinking, after evolving through different dynasties, now focuses on the method of brewing tea, the drinking utensils and the serving etiquette.

Tea Classification

Although there are hundreds of varieties of Chinese tea, they can be classified into five basic categories according to their different processing techniques. The five types are green tea（绿茶），black tea（红茶）, oolong tea（乌龙茶），compressed tea（砖茶），and scented tea（花茶）. Some minor types are white tea and yellow tea.

1. Green tea

Green tea, which is unfermented, is the most natural of all types of Chinese tea. It’s called green tea because the tea liquid and tea leaves are greenish. Compared with other types of Chinese tea, it has the most medicinal value and the least caffeine content. It can help people reduce their inner heat

Green tea has the longest history with now the broadest production area and largest production volume. The most famous among various types of green tea are longjing of West Lake（西湖龙井）in Zhejiang province, maofeng of Mount Huangshan（黄山毛峰）in Anhui province, biluochun（碧螺春）produced in Jiangsu and yunwu from Mount Lushan （庐山云雾）in Jiangxi province.

2. Black tea

The main difference between green tea and black tea is that green tea keeps the original colour of tea leaves without fermentation when being processed, whereas black tea is fermented before being baked. Black tea is so named because the tea liquid and tea leaves are reddish black. It tastes sweet and can facilitate the fostering of yang energy and erase the greasiness in the human body.

The best types of black tea are qihong tea of Anhui（祈红茶），dianhong tea of Yunnan（滇红茶）, suhong tea of Jiangsu（苏红茶），chuanhong tea of Sichuan（川红茶）and huhong tea of Hunan（湖红茶）.

3. Oolong tea

Oolong tea sits half way between green tea and black tea in the sense that it’s semi-fermented. Typical oolong tea leaves are green in the middle and red on the edges as a result of being softened. Oolong tea is the chosen tea for the famous gong fu tea brewing process. Its aroma ranges from mild to medium. Beginners of oolong tea should take care, as even though its flavour seems only mild to medium, the tea can be very strong.

Oolong tea is also favoured for its medicinal functions. Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan are the major producers of this kind of tea. Oolong tea can be classified into three grades based on its light, medium or heavy fermentation. Lightly fermented oolong tea has the characteristics of strong aroma and high refinement, making a golden-coloured drink. Medium fermented oolong tea includes tieguanyin（铁观音）. It is brown in colour and steady in taste. Heavily fermented oolong tea is orange-coloured with the sweetness and fragrance of ripe fruits.

4. Compressed tea

Compressed tea is made by compressing steamed tea leaves into molds such as bricks, cakes, columns, etc. Compressed tea can be stored for years or even decades. Aged compressed tea has a gentle flavour.

5. Scented tea

Chinese scented tea is a unique category. It is a mixture of flowers such as rose, jasmine, orchid, and plum and tea leaves, mostly green but also with elements of black or oolong tea. The two are finely blended and sealed for a time to let the sweet scent of flowers pervade tea leaves. Chinese scented tea has light-to-medium aroma and medium-to-strong aroma.

6. White tea

White tea is non-roasted and non-rubbed tea with natural fragrance. Famous varieties include baihao yinzhen（白毫银针）and baimudan（白牡丹）.

7. Yellow tea

Yellow tea has yellow leaves and yellow tea colour. It’s an uncommon class of Chinese tea. The flavour is mild and refreshing.

                                                      Tea Etiquette

China has a custom of serving guests with tea. Serving a cup of tea is more than mere politeness. It is a symbol of togetherness, a sharing of something enjoyable, and a way of showing respect to guests.

You should ask for the preference of the guest before making tea. The water should not be too hot or it will scald the guest. When you pour tea, the rule of‘full cup for wine and half cup for tea’should be observed. Custom dictates that a host will only fill a teacup to seven-tenths of its capacity. It is said that the other three-tenths will be filled with friendship and affection. When offered tea, the guest should take a sip at least, which is considered polite by the Chinese.