Originally my interest in Chinese tea simply started out as an exploration for information about Jasmine tea. I had enjoyed some at a local Chinese restaurant years ago and never forgot how pleasant it was. At that time I was unaware of the many varieties of Chinese tea that existed. I was able to find a couple books on tea, but not a lot, so I still had no idea what Chinese tea really encompassed. Actually a trip to a small Chinese grocery store, in search of Jasmine tea, is what started my ‘journey’.
I was able to find Jasmine tea, but next to it were several other teas that I had never heard of, i.e. Lychee, Koon Yum and Ti Kuan Yin. Curiosity lead me to trying these other kinds of tea. Unfortuantely, I did not know anything about these other teas, except that I enjoyed them. From there, further searching, in a much larger Chinese store, revealed that I had only just begun to discover the variety that was available.
The journey I have been on since then has been fascinating! ‘Tea’ has turned out to be much more than just ‘tea’. Chinese culture, history and legends are as much a part of tea as is all the current research being done on tea’s health benefits and its antioxidants. This dichotomy is only one of the reasons that tea so compelling! Considering that tea is also grown in other countries as well, i.e. India, Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Africa, Austrailia, and others; it is no surprise that the tea world proves to be extensive.
Chinese Tea Categories:
Link Chinese White Tea page. . Link Chinese Green Tea page. . Link Chinese Black Tea page.
Link Chinese Oolong Tea page. . Link Chinese Scented Tea page. . Link Chinese Puerh Tea page.
To learn about the six different categories of Chinese tea, including examples of each, use the links above. I would like to add that even though technically speaking, Pouchong is classified as an Oolong, I think it should be on its own, making a seventh category. Actually, people in mainland China refer to Pouchong as ‘green oolong’.
References:
http://www.chester.ac.uk/ml/chinese-tea-culture
https://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2013/ucm380345.htm
https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/tea-and-zen/
http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/Home_of_EV/EVNews/t1401372.htm
https://www.stir.ac.uk/events/calendarofevents/2017/september/traditionalchineseteaceremony/
http://www.youth.gov.hk/en/event-calendar/detail.htm?content=2298335
http://www.teaboard.gov.in/pdf/Tea Statistics-The Chinese Scenario.pdf
https://www.nla.gov.au/event/puerh-tea
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/ce/Museum/Arts/7thingsabouttea/en/ch4_2_0.htm
https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/tregothnan-takes-its-tea-to-china
https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/calendar/traditional-chinese-tea-ceremony/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3821942/
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/list/search/1/kw/chinese tea/suggested/1
Theresa Lington
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