Exploring the World of Tea, a cherished drink worldwide, captivates millions with its varied flavors, cultural importance, and possible health advantages.
Discover the unique flavors and characteristics of different tea varieties, all derived from the Camellia sinensis plant through various processing techniques. By exploring the primary types, you can truly appreciate the diversity within this renowned beverage.
Green tea is cherished for its delicate, refreshing flavor and its rich antioxidant levels. It primarily originates from China and Japan, where the leaves are swiftly steamed or pan-fired to halt oxidation. This light processing helps maintain the leaves' natural green hue and their fresh, plant-like taste.
Flavor Profile: Green tea presents a spectrum of tastes, ranging from the fresh, grassy notes to the sweet, with hints of bitterness and astringency. These flavors can differ based on the tea's region of origin, the local climate, and the particular methods of processing. Varieties Green tea offers a world of diversity in flavor and experience, with each variety bringing its own unique profile. Green tea is a type of tea that is made from Camellia sinensis leaves and buds that have not undergone the same withering and oxidation process which is used to make oolong teas and black teas. Originally, Chinese green tea was steamed, but since the early Ming dynasty, it has typically been pan-fired in a dry wok. Today, other methods used in China include oven-firing, basket-firing, tumble-drying, and sun-drying.
Popular green teas from China include:
Biluochun: Produced in Jiangsu, this tea is named for its snail-like curled leaves. Chun Mee: Known by its Cantonese name in English, it is favored outside China for its plum-like flavor.
Zhū chá: Also known as "Pearl tea" or Gunpowder tea, this variety is tumble-dried, causing each leaf to roll into a small pellet resembling gunpowder.
Huangshan Maofeng: Grown in the Huangshan mountain range's microclimate in Anhui province, maofeng tea is harvested by plucking two equal-sized leaves and a bud together.
Longjing: Also called "Dragon Well" tea, this is the most famous pan-fired Chinese green tea, grown near Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, is treasured for its smooth, sweet, and subtly nutty savor, a reflection of its meticulous roasting process.
Lu'an Melon Seed: Cultivated in Anhui province, it is unique in that two leaves are plucked separately from each branch, with no bud or stems, and has a grassier flavor due to its later harvest.
Taiping Houkui: This tea, which grows in Anhui province, uses a cultivar with unusually large leaves and is processed to flatten the leaves, creating a distinctive "two knives and a pole" shape. The oven-baked leaves boast a rich, deep green hue with striking red veins on the underside. The tea shoots can reach up to 15 centimeters (5.9 inches) in length. Harvested from the Shi Da Cha, a unique large-leaf variety indigenous to Anhui Province, they possess an exceptionally delicate flavor.
Xinyang Maojian: A maojian variety from Xinyang, Henan province, harvested by plucking a bud and one leaf together. Xinyang Maojian is celebrated for its distinctive and delightful taste. When infused with water, it takes on a yellowish hue. The tea itself is somewhat dense, offering a revitalizing briskness and a persistent aftertaste.
Black tea, also known as red tea in various East Asian languages, is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white, and green teas. This oxidation gives it a darker color and a stronger flavor. All types are derived from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis shrub or small tree, although the taller Camellia taliensis, which can grow from 2-8 meters, is also occasionally used. Originating in China, where it is called hong cha (Chinese: "red tea") due to the color of the oxidized leaves, black tea maintains its flavor for several years, making it a long-standing trade item. Compressed bricks of black tea even served as a form of currency in Mongolia, Tibet, and Siberia into the 19th century. Typically, unblended black teas are named after their region of production.
Popular black teas from China include:
Congou - served as the base for the 19th-century English Breakfast tea blend. Lapsang Souchong - known for its strong smoky flavor, as it is dried over burning pine.
Keemun - has a fruity aroma with hints of pine, dried plum, and floral notes. Dianhong - renowned for its dark malty and golden bud teas.
Yingdehong - characterized by a cocoa-like aroma and a sweet aftertaste with a peppery note.
Jiu Qu Hong Mei - distinguished by its tightly curled fishhook-like leaves and lustrous black color, it offers a brightly reddish infusion with a prolonged smooth aftertaste.
Many finished black teas are blended with other plants to create a unique beverage.
Oolong, a traditional semi-oxidized Chinese tea, is crafted through a unique process that involves withering the leaves under intense sunlight and oxidizing them partially before they are curled and twisted. Depending on the cultivation and production techniques, they can exhibit a range of flavors—from sweet and fruity with honey undertones to woody and robust with roasted notes, or even green and vibrant with intricate aromas. Some oolong teas are shaped into long, curly leaves, while others are "wrap-curled" into small beads with a tail.
Popular oolong teas from China include:
- Da Hong Pao ("Big Red Robe") - a highly prized tea and one of the two oolong varieties recognized as a famous Chinese tea. It ranks among the most expensive teas in the world.
- Shui Jin Gui ("Golden Water Turtle") - has a rich, full-bodied flavor profile with hints of honey, caramel, and roasted nuts.
- Tieluohan ("Iron The Iron Warrior Monk Tea") - floral and sweet, with a distinctive toasty and fruity flavor, this oolong tea offers a rich profile that could contribute positively to your wellbeing.
- Bai Jiguan ("White Cockscomb") - a light tea with pale, yellowish leaves.
- Rougui ("Cassia") - a dark tea with a spicy scent.
- Shui Xian ("Narcissus") - very dark tea, predominantly grown in regions outside Fujian.
- Tieguanyin ("Iron Goddess of Mercy") - listed among the Ten Famous Chinese Teas.
- Huangjin Gui ("Golden Cassia" or "Golden Osmanthus") - similar to Tieguanyin, known for its highly aromatic flavor.
- Dancong Tea - renowned for its unique ability to mimic the flavors and scents of various flowers and fruits, such as orange blossom, orchid, grapefruit, almond, and ginger flower.
- Ruan Zhi - a delicate variety of oolong tea, also referred to as Qingxin or #17.
- Milk Oolong – beloved for its creamy, smooth, and mellow taste. Authentic milk oolong tea does not contain actual milk.
White tea, the least processed among all teas, is crafted from young leaves and buds that undergo a simple process of withering and drying. The name 'white tea' comes from the fine silvery-white hairs on the unopened buds of the tea plant, which lend a whitish hue to the plant. This minimal processing yields a delicate and subtle flavor, often characterized as light and sweet. Hailing from the Fujian province in China, white tea is celebrated for its unadulterated quality and high antioxidant levels.
Flavor Profile: With its understated and refined taste, white tea offers notes of honey and florals, coupled with an inherent sweetness. It is typically less astringent compared to other teas, providing a smooth and mellow drinking experience.
Popular white teas from China include:
Bai Mudan (White Peony) - includes both buds and leaves, provides a fuller flavor than other white teas, marked by melon notes and floral sweetness.
Shoumei tea - harvested after Bai Mudan, generally exhibits a darker color.
Silver Needle (Baihao Yinzhen) - revered as the premier white tea, Silver Needle is made solely from young buds, offering a delicate, sweet, and sophisticated flavor.
Fermented Tea
Truly Unique
Also known as post-fermented tea or dark tea, is a category of tea that undergoes microbial fermentation for several months to many years. Originating in China, where it's widely referred to as hei cha or dark tea, this tea is predominantly produced in the warmer southern regions of the country. For aging purposes, it is typically pressed into bricks or cakes. Pu'er, the most renowned fermented tea, undergoes a ripening process while loose before being compressed. Like fine wines, fermented teas can be aged for many years to enhance their flavor. Raw pu'er tea may be aged for up to 50 years without losing quality, while ripened pu'er can be aged for 10 to 15 years. Generally, post-fermented tea increases in value as it ages. Dark tea is often aged in bamboo baskets, wrapped in bamboo leaves, or kept in its original packaging. To encourage the growth of beneficial fungi, known as "golden flowers" or jin hua for their vibrant yellow hue, many dark tea varieties are intentionally aged in humid conditions.
Fermented tea comes in various shapes:
- Bamboo leaf logs
- Cakes, also known as bing cha
- Bricks, referred to as zhuan cha
- Loose leaves in baskets
- Bird nests, or tuo cha, typically pu'er tea
- Mushrooms
- Squares, known as fang cha
In Tibet and Central Asia, many people consume pu'er or other fermented teas as a source of calories and micronutrients. They boil it with yak butter, sugar, and salt to create yak butter tea.
Varieties:
- Sheng Pu-erh: A raw Pu-erh that naturally ferments over time, allowing it to be aged for decades. Its flavor profile matures, becoming increasingly smooth and intricate as it ages.
- Shou Pu-erh: A ripe Pu-erh that undergoes a controlled fermentation process to accelerate aging, yielding a dark, rich, and velvety tea that's ready to be savored earlier.
Types of Pu'er:
- Sticky rice pu'er, infused with the leaves of Semnostachya menglaensis.
- Banzhang
- Jingmai
- Bamboo roasted pu'er
- Bulang
Flavor Profile: Pu-erh tea boasts a rich, earthy flavor that ranges from smooth and mellow to strong and complex, influenced by its age and variety.
Sheng Pu-erh typically offers a fresher, more astringent taste, while Shou Pu-erh is usually smoother, featuring notes of dark chocolate, earth, and at times, a hint of sweetness.
Herbal and Fruit Tea
Caffeine-free yet fascinating
This type of tea can be crafted from various parts of a plant, encompassing fresh or dried flowers, fruits, leaves, stems, seeds, or roots. These components may be steeped in their raw state (as harvested) or after undergoing processing methods such as drying, roasting, crushing, slicing, or steaming. Additionally, herbal infusions can be enhanced with sweeteners, spices, salt, or other mix-ins, such as milk or lemon juice. The flavors of herbal teas can differ greatly, ranging from the soothing, floral notes of rose to the vibrant, invigorating essence of peppermint. The taste is solely determined by the blend of ingredients.
Some examples:
- Red dates tea has a sweet, fruity taste with a hint of earthiness.
- Passion fruit tea transforming ordinary sips into extraordinary indulgences.
- Peppermint tea has a cool, minty flavor.
- Rose tea possesses a delicate and floral flavor, highlighted by subtle notes of rose.
- Blue pea flower tea has an earthy, nutty, and mellow flavor.
- Peony flower tea has a natural sweet fragrance and taste.
- Kumquat tea has natural kumquat flavor.
Experience the rich tradition and cultural treasure of Chinese tea with each sip. It goes beyond being a simple drink and it holds a story ingrained in its taste. Let each sip connect you to a storied past and make it a cherished part of your tea journey.
