In our article, we would like to talk about Chinese tea. Inexperienced lovers of this drink are scared, first of all, by its variety. Somehow it's not very clear where to start and what is better to choose. Therefore, I want to clarify this issue a little. Let's see what Chinese tea is. We will also discuss its types and main distinctive characteristics, and in more detail as much as possible. Of course, there are a lot of varieties of the drink, but we will try to understand the main positions of this issue without climbing into the wilds.
Description and types of Chinese teas
There are many varieties of Chinese tea, as well as classifications of this drink. However, the easiest and most acceptable way to distinguish between varieties of tea is to consider it in terms of fermentation or color.
It is understood that Chinese tea is grown and harvested in China. In general, the topic: "Chinese tea: varieties, types" is extremely interesting if you delve into the essence of the issue. Many varieties have a long history and tradition.
So, Chinese tea is of such varieties:
- Green.
- White.
- Yellow.
- Oolong tea (light and dark varieties).
- Red (we call it black, and the Chinese - red)
- Black - puer (a mixture of black and green)
- Floral.
Let us dwell in more detail on each type of drink, since they deserve closer attention. If you understand the nuances, believe me, you will no longer be embarrassed by the hieroglyphics of the names. Chinese tea, types and properties will be clear to you, and you will easily make your choice in the store.
Green tea
There are many varieties of green tea. Imagine that eighteen provinces of China are engaged in the production of this species. The main feature of the production of green varieties is processing technology in which leaf fermentation occurs. Freshly picked tea is dried in the open. This process is called "killing greens." The less time the leaf crashes, the closer its properties to the white look. When the tea becomes soft and sluggish, it is thermally processed. This allows you to preserve the green color of the leaf and give the aroma of fresh greenery. At the same time, natural healing properties and active substances are preserved in tea. Heat treatment can be different, which gives a variety of tastes and shades of green varieties.
Types of green Chinese tea:
- Fried. The most famous of this type: "Bio Lo Chun", "Lung Ching."
- Teas that undergo a drying process in special equipment similar to an oven. Types: Taiping HouKui, Huangshan Mao Feng.
- Steamed. They are steamed and then curled. Teas of this kind have a delicate aroma and floral-fruity notes, a mild flavor.
After heat treatment, the leaves are shaped. This is done in various ways, which is why some types of tea acquire a unique shape. Twisting the tea leaves is not an easy process. It significantly increases the shelf life of the tea leaves, which allows you to save and improve the properties of tea. A slightly curled sheet has the mildest taste. In the production of alpine varieties are twisted manually. Processing one portion lasts about an hour!
After twisting, the tea is dried. In finished form, it should have a true green color, bright and saturated.
Brewing green tea
You need to be able to brew Chinese tea correctly. Its types are different, which means that it is brewed in different ways. You should know about this in order to make maximum use of its useful properties. Green varieties are recommended to fill with water, the temperature of which is in the range from sixty to eighty degrees. And in no case boiling water. The brewing process lasts one to three minutes. It should be noted that different types of green varieties withstand from two to six brewing. The finished drink has a color scheme from light green to golden, yellow-green.
High-quality green Chinese tea (the types we indicated earlier) has a bright aroma, which is dominated by fruit, flower and herbal shades. With prolonged or improper storage, the drink loses both its properties and aroma.
Do not forget that it is green varieties that contain a lot of caffeine, a long brewing process can give a bitterness. Properly brewed tea, unlike other varieties, has a record amount of vitamins, nutrients and trace elements. Therefore, it is correctly said that the types of Chinese tea and their properties are interconnected.
White tea
Considering the types of Chinese tea (product photos are given in the article), one cannot help but pay attention to the unique white variety of the drink. It is made only in Fujian. During harvesting, only the youngest buds and half-opened leaves that are still covered with white villi are selected for white tea. They are called white cilia.
White tea has its own special processing. It only crashes in the sun and dries. Leaflets do not curl, remain in their natural form. It is important to maintain the correct temperature for processing. Too high can kill the most delicate taste, and low can make the drink fresh. In general, the Chinese believe that since all the processing processes take place manually, it is important, first of all, the mental attitude of the person who works with tea.
In the finished form, the white variety does not have twisted tea leaves, it's just a scattering of leaves. They should have a grayish green or just green color. Remember that white fibers on its surface are an indispensable indicator of the quality of white tea.
Properties of White Tea
What properties does white Chinese tea have (types, varieties, description will be given below)? White varieties have a cooling effect on the human body, so experts use it in warm time. The drink is very light, so when brewing you can put a little more teas than using other varieties. However, too strong tea will not allow you to feel the fullness of taste and aroma. The most vivid and complete taste qualities are revealed with a weak brewing of the drink.
Brewed white tea has a pink-yellow or pale yellow color with a characteristic, very bright herbal aroma.
To properly prepare a drink, you need to fill it with water, the temperature of which is about seventy-five degrees. Tea has a specific concentration of essential oils that give it a very refined aroma. Too hot water can spoil the amazing qualities of white tea.
Many people ask when buying: "How to choose Chinese tea?" Types, names, processing - everything is important here. And there are many nuances that you need to know.
White tea is poorly transported and stored, due to very little fermentation it is demanding on storage conditions. The Bai Mu Dan tea ("Bai Mu Dan"), which means white peony, gained immense popularity . It is produced in the Chinese province of Fujian. Leaflets are collected in early spring before they are completely bloomed.
For brewing, you need to take two teaspoons and insist for two to four minutes. The drink should have an almond yellow color, a pinkish tint is possible. White tea has a fresh, bright aroma with herbal notes. At the beginning of our era in China, white tea was considered the elixir of immortality. It must be said that the emperor’s immortality was meant; mere mortals could not afford such tea.
The Chinese say that white tea is the most useful, because it undergoes very little processing, which means that almost all vitamins and minerals are stored in it.
Scientists at the University of Oregon in the United States confirmed the anti-cancer properties of this drink. In addition, white tea has a beneficial effect on the heart and blood vessels, strengthens the immune system, is even able to protect against bacteria and viruses.
Yellow tea
Yellow tea is made only in the Chinese province of Huan. In European countries, little is known about yellow teas. For centuries, it was forbidden to export yellow Chinese tea from the country. The types of this drink were previously consumed only at the imperial court, and later it was drank by the highest dignitaries at religious ceremonies. For the violations that are associated with the trade in tea, in those days they punished very severely, despite the status of a person in society.
And only in the nineteenth century it was allowed to trade in yellow tea, or rather, to exchange it in Russia for sable furs. Later, China again limited the number and variety of exported varieties. In general, the Chinese are very reverent about their national product. And the yellow type of tea was the first in the list of goods prohibited for export.
Features of Yellow Tea Varieties
In other countries, it was not possible to produce the same type of drink. This is due to the fact that there is simply no necessary raw material. In addition, the production of yellow tea is a very laborious process. It requires only the use of manual labor. Under capitalism, entrepreneurs do not dare to engage in such production.
Yellow tea is a slightly fermented species. The properties and appearance of yellow teas can be confused with green. However, their production technology is completely different.
For yellow tea, leaflets from bushes of a special kind are taken. Only juicy strong kidneys are collected. Imagine you need to collect 50,000 kidneys to produce just one kilogram! Yellow teas produce seventy-two hours. This is a special process: for some time, the leaves are heated over hot coals, and then wrapped in parchment, which causes the yellowing process. All these procedures trigger the fermentation mechanism. While the tea leaves are languishing, all the white pile on their surface burns out. This is another distinguishing feature of this species. If for white variety white villi is an indicator of good quality, then yellow varieties should not have them at all.
Yellow tea is brewed just like green tea. Insisted no more than three minutes. But as for taste, the yellow variety cannot be confused with any other. It has a pleasant, soft, caressing taste with light notes of astringency. The aroma is really sophisticated and refined. Experts say with confidence that in terms of velvety and softness this variety has no equal. An interesting fact is that, for example, red varieties have a strong aroma that can be easily recognized. But as for the yellow look, its aroma is elusive. It is felt only during tea drinking. Then he quickly disappears and it seems that he was not there at all. Such an interesting feature.
Yellow tea is very strong, and therefore has exciting properties. It has an amber yellow color that looks like a shade of green drink. But there is one feature by which varieties can be distinguished. Green tea tends to be reflected on the porcelain wall of the cup in a greenish color, but the yellow variety reflects in the form of a pink rim.
Turquoise Tea - Oolong Tea
Translated, "oolong" means "black dragon", it is also called turquoise. Oolong (tea) got its name from the Ulongjian River, which flows through the province of Fujian - the birthplace of this variety.
Oolongs are classified as semi-fermented varieties. This is a special kind, it is also considered tea perfection. This variety grows very high in the mountains. It is collected by people who know the tea business and pass on their knowledge and skills from generation to generation. Most often, Oolongs are made from fairly mature leaves. After assembly, they are placed in the shade for wilting. The process lasts up to one hour. Then they are placed on bamboo trays and periodically ted, knead. This process is done several times until the edges of the leaves turn red and brown. Then they are calcined under the sun for fifteen minutes. Oolongs undergo group twisting.
Brewing such tea depends on the variety. If this is a little fermented oolong (Te Guanyin variety), then it is brewed like green. In general, after cooking, Oolong tea has properties due to which it can not be confused with other species. A quality drink has a strong floral scent. But the color scheme can vary from a light green tint to golden and red. Oolong tea is used for the tea ceremony. Only in such conditions is it possible to fully disclose all the properties of the drink.
The variety of oolongs is amazing. There are mainland and island varieties.
Black tea
We call tea black, but in China it is red. This view goes through a long technological chain. Unlike other types, black tea undergoes complete fermentation. First, the leaves are dried, then twisted, and then placed in moist, dark rooms for heating. There it is fermented and gets its dark shade. Then the leaves are dried in the oven with streams of dry air.
Brew black tea with almost boiling water, and then insist for up to five minutes. The finished drink has a wide range of colors and a varied taste. The black variety has a more resinous odor.
The most famous black tea is Chinese (types, names):
- "Anhui Qihong."
- "Dianhong."
- "Huncha's Name".
- "Yixing Huncha."
- "Laosong Xiaozhong."
The Chinese themselves do not drink red (black) tea, but it is widely represented on world markets.
Puer
Chinese is called black tea aged for years. The most famous is Puer. It got its name from the name of the city where it was originally sold. It has a special production technology and is highly fermented.
The leaves are first collected, then dried, twisted and pressed. Fermentation occurs during storage. After a couple of years of storage, bitterness goes away and the drink can be consumed. However, to achieve true taste and aroma, such tea must be stored for fifteen to twenty years. Naturally, nobody waits so much time.
Black tea is brewed only with boiling water.
Related tea
There is also a very special Chinese tea in the form of a flower. It is also called bound. The fact is that it is manually tied from expensive green varieties. Sometimes add yellow, red and white grade.
However, the main feature of this tea is a very fragrant flower, which is added to the drink. Bound tea looks like a dry bud, tied with thread. It is inside the bud that the flower is hiding. Such tea is made only by hand, and therefore each time it turns out something interesting and new. Therefore, there are many varieties of related tea.
Instead of an afterword
In our article, we figured out what Chinese tea can be. Types (hieroglyphics on boxes - not a reason to panic) are so numerous and diverse that sometimes you don’t know which one to choose. We hope that after reading our article you can still decide and purchase a suitable product. And even better - try different options, because each has its own zest and unique flavor!