Chinese tea

The Chinese tea – Varieties and uses of Chinese tea

The history of tea in China with different flavors and varieties dates back to nearly 4000 years.  Chinese tea has been very prevalent since early days itself for its medicinal properties. As the years went by, Chinese tea was an enjoyable and refreshing drink and its medicinal benefits receding.  Today, Chinese tea is enjoyed all over the world for its unique flavor and refreshing taste. The major advantages seen in consuming Chinese tea is that it has several health benefits such as lowering of blood pressure, increasing immunity, significant reduction in breast and esophageal cancer and anti ageing effects.

Even though there are plenty of types and varieties of Chinese tea available round the world, all are derived from the leaves of the bushy tea plant, Camellia sinensis. There are mainly eight different classifications of Chinese tea, namely black tea, green tea, white tea, yellow tea, flower tea, oolong tea, compressed tea and flavored tea. From these eight different classifications of teas, thousands of varieties of teas are derived and marketed in the world market. All these eight classification of teas has different flavors as well as health benefits. 

The most commonly available of the Chinese tea is the black tea and its different varieties. The tea leaves of the Camellia sinensis undergoes extensive processing such as rolling, oxidization, withering and drying, and the final product is a deep red color and sweet fragranced black tea. With the different types of varieties of brew, Chinese black tea comes with flavors such as pepper, spice, malt and other earthly flavors. The Hong cha or red tea is the oldest type of black Chinese tea and has rich and deep flavor. This is the most sought after Chinese tea all over the world, for its unique taste, deep red color and soothing feeling.

One of the major categories of black tea grown in China is the Souchong tea. It is prepared with large tea leaves rolled lengthwise and pine smoked aroma is added up while processing the tea. The Souchong tea comes from the Wuyi mountain city in the Fujian province. According to the specific geographical area in China where the Souchong tea is produced, its different varieties are named as

• Lapsang Souchong, the finest in this category, and is produced in Jianyang, Chong’An and Guangzhe
• Tongmuguan Souchong variety of black tea from Tongmuguan County.
• Smoking Souchong is produced outside Wuyi city.

Congou category of Chinese black tea includes variations of Souchong which includes Sichuan, Yunnan, Hunan and Jiangsu. The different forms of Chinese black teas that are accepted and marketed world wide include whole leaf tea, broken leaf tea, fannings which assist in fast brewing and the dust tea. The popular varieties of the Chinese black tea include Yunnan, Keemun and Lapsang Souchong teas. Apart from its flavor and rich aroma, Chinese black tea has been associated with a lot of health benefits such as reducing inflammations, lowering cholesterol levels, improving blood flow and maintaining blood pressure, due to the presence of high concentration of flavonoids in them.

Chinese green tea is the oldest type of tea use and is well known all over the world for its enormous health benefits. It is believed that the Chinese green tea has come into existence about 4000 years ago. The various types of processes that the Chinese adopt in making green tea is the reason for its strong flavor, exquisite aroma and refreshing taste apart from its high health benefit features. Generally, Chinese green tea has a light, fresh taste, which usually has a yellow appearance when brewed.

Chun Mee is a variety of Chinese green tea that comes from Zhejiang province, which has a dusty appearance and a strong acidic taste. Another popular type of green tea found in china is the Gunpowder tea, which has a mint taste and is known for its pellet- like appearance. Longing tea is the most gentle and sweet –tasting of the Chinese green tea. This tea is specially processed and is pan fried to stop the fermentation process. Chinese green tea has medicinal properties which has been tried and tested many centuries ago. In fact, in the olden days, Chinese people used green tea and its products to treat various ailments in people. Due to the presence of antioxidants like polyphenols, Chinese green tea is helpful in prevention of cancer, prevent cell damage, reduce the symptoms of brain tumor and decrease cholesterol levels. Green Pu-erh tea is one of the oldest teas in China and is the most popular of the teas available in China for its medical benefits as well its lingering taste. The Pu-erh tea is seen commonly in the Yunnan region of China. It tastes best when it is stored for a few years will possess a soft and mellow body with uniquely smooth and nice soft feeling in the mouth.

The White tea, another popular variety of Chinese tea, is grown in abundance in Northern and Southern Fujian province and Hunan province. This is the most natural form of tea. White tea is derived from the young buds of the tea plant. It also has most of the medicinal benefits that are seen in green teas. It was a rare drink which was relished by the Kings and Queens of ancient China.

Oolong tea is an ancient Chinese tea developed in the Fujian province during the rule of Ming dynasty. It lies somewhere between the black and the green tea and has the health benefits of the black and the green teas. Their leaves are black and have a thread like appearance when dried.

The flower tea is produced in many regions of China – Jiangshu province, Zhejiang province and Hebei provinces. The flower teas are taken any time of the day and during any meals. Flower teas come in various types and tastes. The flower teas are alleged to clean out toxins apart from providing a refreshing drink.