Chinese tea has a history of over 5,000 years, during which a series of unique tea culture have come into being, covering from tea plant cultivation and conservation, tea-leaf picking to processing and sampling tea. Tea-leaves are mainly produced in the southern area to the Yangtze River for mild climate and fertile ground there, such as the provinces of Zhejiang, Yunnan, Guizhou and Fujian. There produce an abundance of renowned tea varieties, e.g. Longjin, Wulong, Pu’er, Tieguangyin. Tea culture is one of the common traits shared by all the 56 ethnic groups in China. Many Chinese people believe that a day is not perfect without a cup of tea. Either in the warm southern mountain area or on the frozen northern grassland, stuff like Gongfu tea, buttered tea and milk tea are all among the favorite drinks. Furthermore, both ancient and modern Chinese people tend to indulge in elaborating on poems, essays, dances and dramas on the tea.

The History of the Tea

China is the initial place of tea and also the fist country to discover the tea tree and make use of it. Early back to primitive society, tea has been used as medicine. Tea has been found in the record documents of China’ Zhou dynasty about 1100BC. People began to drink tea in their daily life and the appeared the market of tea in 100BC. Drinking tea became a fashion in Xijin dynasty and Tang dynasty as Buddhism came to China and became more and more popular. “Tea Jing” written by Lu Yu in 760AD was the first book of tea in the world, which promote the development of tea culture. It dated very early since tea was delivered to other country. Particularly, since 1700s, the Chinese tea has largely expended into the world market, providing tea to meet the requirement of the world people. Tea has become the big sale of Chinese traditional commodity.

Nowadays, tea production is all over the world including five continents and more than fifty countries and regions. However, China is truly the birth place of tea and tea drinking where the tea culture spreads to the world. China was called the motherland of tea by ancient people.

Tea Classification

Although there are hundreds of varieties of Chinese tea, they can be mainly classified into five categories:

Green Tea:

With its natural fragrance, green tea, as the oldest kind of tea, is widely welcomed by different people. It is baked immediately after picking. According to the different ways of processing, it can be divided to many kinds. Among various green tea, Longjing (Dragon Well) Tea around the West Lake in Hangzhou, HuangshanMaofeng Tea from Mt. Huangshan, Yinzhen (Silver Needle) Tea from Mt. Junshan and Yunwu (Cloud and Mist) Tea from Mt. Lushan are most famous.

Black Tea:

Black tea is much more favored by foreigners. Different from green tea, black tea is a kind of fermented tea. After the fermentation, its color changes from green to black. The most famous black teas in China are " Qi Hong (originated in Anhui), "Dian Hong"(originated in Yunnan), and "Ying Hong" (originated in Guangdong).

Brick Tea:

Brick tea, usually pressed into brick shape, is mainly produced in Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Brick tea is made from black tea or green tea and is pressed into blocks. This kind of tea is popular with minority people in border regions. The most famous one is "Pu'er Tea" made in Yunnan province.

Scented Tea:

Scented tea, which is very popular in Northern China, in fact is a mixture of green tea with flower petals of rose, jasmine, orchid and plum through an elaborate process. Among this type, jasmine tea is common.

Oolong Tea:

Oolong tea, with an excellent combination of the freshness of green tea and the fragrance of black tea, become popular with more and more people. It has a good function in helping body building and dieting. Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan are the major producing areas of this kind of tea. Oolong tea grows on cliffs, the hard picking process make it the most precious tea.

Chinese Tea Art

The Way of Making Tea

Take utensils for brewing tea into consideration, there are two types; brewing by cups and in teapots. Many people like to brew Congon, black Souchong tea, tea bags and instant tea by cups; and other people prefer teapots to cups for tea broken, sifting and dust with a purpose of separating the dregs from the liquid. Speaking of additive, there are plain tea and tea with additives. Most people in China are accustomed to drink plain tea without any additives. In European and Amercian countries, people like to drink tea with milk and sugar added. Black tea can be prepared as a cool beverage. The usual way is that: pour luke warm water over instant tea to make a strong liquid, then pour the liquid into a glass filled with ice cubes, add honey or sugar to taste and one or two slices of lemon. Then a cup of cool beverage with sweet and acid taste is ready.

For Green Tea

In China, most tea-drinkers drink their green tea in higher quality from glass cups to enjoy the crispy green color while savor the tea. For Mee tea and Gunpowder (Zhu tea) people like using the porcelain cups, the delicate tone of the cups, glaze enhancing the tone of tea. People living in other countries brew green tea in different ways. In Northwest Africa and Mali etc, people are fond of drinking tea with mint, by boiling tea then add two or three sprigs of fresh mint leaves and sugar and boil them together again. It makes a feature of refreshing and cool taste and keeps off the mental fatigue when savored.

For Oolong Tea

People are particular concerned about the way of making Oolong tea. The utensils used for making tea form in a complete sets named as “four treasures”, namely: Yui shu wei (kettle), Meng chen guan (teapot), Ro shen ou (cups) by pouring boiling water from Yu shu wei (kettle). Then put oolong tea leaves into the teapot about sox or seven tenths full and pour boiling water over the leaves and cover the teapot with its cap tightly. Pour hots water over the capped teapot to retain the heat. Brew for about half a minute then pour the tea liquid into cups usually four cups from each teapot. The tea liquid is poured into each cup only half full, one after another, then pour again until the cups filled about three fourths full. It ensures tea with even and unified flavor. This gives a bracing and lasting aroma while sipping it slowly.

For Scented Tea

Scented tea is processed from green tea scented with fresh sweet-smelling jasmine flowers. Complemented with flowers of subtle scents the tea yields a kind of refined flavor Having savored the Chinese jasmine tea, a foreign poet wrote a verse, saying: “I feel the flavor of spring, when I sip the the tea of jasmine.” Most tea-drinkers like to brew scented tea in porcelain cups with caps on them to keep the aroma from escaping. The way of making is quite simple: just put a tea-spoonful of tea leaves into a cup and pour over it boiling water then cover the cup with its cap for four or five minutes and the tea is ready to serve.

Some Special Ways of Making Tea

Some special ways of making tea in ancient China tea had been served as soup and vegetables. Nowadays, a number of special methods of making tea have handed down from very ancient times and remained popular in some minority regions. Roasted tea Minority nationality residing in Pu-er and Menghai in Yunnan Province are found of drinking roasted tea. First, put an empty pottery jar over a fire pool to warm up then put a handful of sun-dried green tea leaves in the jar and roast for a while. The tea leaves turn to brown color after being roasted and send out pleasant smoky smell together with bursting sounds. Then the roasted tea is ready to serve by pouring into cups. Roasted tea is orange in color with pleasant and lasting aroma. It is apt to be addictive when drink it from time to time.

Tea and Health

Tea is a natural and healthy drink. People have enjoyed drinking it for thousands of years. This tradition developed and remained popular to this very day. Nowadays, more than half of the world 5 billions population drink tea. Modern research indicates that tea contains a lot of nutrients that help to build up good health:

Tea is refreshing and helps you work efficiently.

Tea is a thirst quencher and aids digestion of food.

Tea helps to disinfect and alleviate inflammation; helps urinary output and purge toxine.

Tea makes nutrition sense and is good for health.

Tea helps fitness and against cardiovascular diseases.

Advantages of Tea-Drinking

Tea has been one of the daily necessities in China since time immemorial. Countless numbers of people like to have their after meal tea. In summer or warm climate, tea seems to dispel the heat and bring on instant cool together with a feeling of relaxation. For this reason, tea-houses abound in towns and market villages in South China and provide elderly retirees with the locales to meet and chat over a cup of tea. Medically, the tea leaf contains a number of chemicals, of which 20-30% is tannic acid, known for its anti-inflammatory and germicidal properties. It also contains an alkaloid (5%, mainly caffeine), a stimulant for the nerve centre and the process of metabolism. Tea with the aromatics in it may help resolve meat and fat and thus promote digestion. It is, therefore, of special importance to people who live mainly on meat, like many of the ethnic minorities in China. A popular proverb among them says, "Rather go without salt for three days than without tea for a single day.

Tea is also rich in various vitamins and, for smokers; it helps to discharge nicotine out of the system. After wining, strong tea may prove to be a sobering pick-me-up.