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Chinese green teas is traditional Chinese green tea. Its leaves are rolled into a shape reminding a pearl (that is how it got its other name – pearl tea). This tea provides yellow-green infusion of a very distinctive, pleasantly astringent taste with floral or herbal, sometimes also slightly smoky aroma and typical stimulative effect. The leaf as well as the infusion contains a high ratio of very easily absorbed fluorides, so its drinking is a good prevention of the tooth decay.
Young Hyson is a Chinese green tea made of tiny young leaves, evenly rolled into a small spirals. The very refreshing yellow-green infusion is typical for its very strong, slightly sweet, pleasantly astringent taste.
Chun Mee is made up of smaller leaves, rolled into a shape of an eyebrow, which gave the tea its name. The infusion is yellow-green, with similar (but more delicate and balanced) tastes as the infusion of Gunpowder tea and often with metal aroma.
Pi Lo Chun is one of the most famous Chinese green teas. It is produced from very young leaves (in fact it is a tip and the first, just half unfolded leaf), harvested from the day of spring equinox to the beginning of April, when leaves begin to be too unfolded and big. The specific characteristic of this tea is the special method of processing (warming of the harvested leaves) and their precise rolling into the shape of a spiral. The infusion, usually of light green colour, provides totally typical, sweetish, tippy dusty taste of absolutely characteristic, not easily describable aroma.
White Downy are teas produced in the Guangxi Province from half- wild tea bushes. Harvested leaves are covered with a white down, typical is a high ratio of tips, a bit higher in Guangxi White Downy as a more quality grade of Lin Yun Downy. A light infusion has got a delicious, tippy sweet, slightly and very pleasantly astringent taste and refreshing effects, while Guangxi White Downy tea has got slightly more balanced and longer tastes.
Lung Ching has been one of the most famous Chinese green teas since the times of Lu Ju. It is typical both by the shape of its leaves that are not rolled, but while warming on a metal plate shaped with circular movements into flat needles, and by its totally unique long lasting aroma of a light green infusion, which has got usually sweetish taste with floral and grassy tones. The most famous gardens, producing this tea, are located in Lung Ching village and on the Lion Peak (Shi Feng) in the Zhejiang Province.
Ding Gu Dafang is green tea processed by the similar method as Lung Ching tea, but produced of bigger leaves, harvested in gardens in the Yellow Mountains (Huangshan). The leaf is bigger, with harsher structure than it is normal for Lung Ching tea, the infusion taste is similar by its character, but more distinctively floral, with the character of green teas from Huangshan.
Yongxi Huoquing is excellent Chinese green tea with a tip and the first two leaves rolled into the dark-green, greasy-glossy “pearl”. The infusion has a totally typical orchid fragrance as well as taste, originating in the fact that tips and leaves begin to unfold in the time when unimaginable amount of orchids bloom in the surrounding mountains and their scent is so strong that those just unfolding leaves absorb it. This tea has got extremely strong stimulating effect.
Hui Ming is famous Spring green tea from Zheijang province, harvested in the tea gardens surrounding a monastery of the same name. The local climate is very humid, that is why the gardens are almost permanently covered in mist or clouds, which gives the tea its uncommutable character. The leaf is tiny, wiry with a distinctive ratio of subtle tips, the taste of the infusion is typically floral with a strong grassy-green component.
Huangshan Mao Feng is one of the most famous Chinese teas ever. It is produced in the highest peaks of the Yellow Mountains (Huangshan) in the Anhui Province. The harvested material contains a tip and the first, just half-unfolded leaf. This tea is typical for its strong floral fragrance and taste, which the unfolding leaves absorb from peach trees, blooming all around in the Yellow Mountains. It is absolutely exclusive tea, produced in a very limited amount.
Manually bundled teas are usually produced of tips bundled manually while processed (sometimes also shaped without use of a thread) into various shapes. The long tradition in producing these teas comes from the Yunan Province, which is a home place of probably the most famous tea grades of this type, however, teas of this type are produced in all provinces, making quality green teas. The most famous boundled teas are Silvery Strawberry or Mu Dan, the most famous shaped teas are for example Tai Mu Long Zhu, Rolling Cloud or Jade Rings. Most of these teas provide light infusion of a delicate, slightly dusty, floral-sweet taste.
Yunnan green teas are typical for its slightly smoky taste, sweetish metal aroma and strongly stimulating effects. The aroma and effects are similar to the high grades of Vietnamese green teas.
Chinese white teas Show Me is a basic grade of Chinese white tea. The processed leaf is usually darker, not rolled, tips are middle sized, rather thin. The infusion is also darker and provides distinctively tippy dusty, slightly sweetish taste with honey aroma. Pai Mu Tan produced most commonly in the Fujian Province is a higher grade of Chinese white teas. The ratio and the size of tips as well as the extent of fermentation of an unfolded leaf depends on the qualitative grade of the given tea, however, it is typically tea with a very high ratio of bulky, strongly downy tips with an apparent ratio of bigger, fully unfolded green leaves. The taste of the infusion is very distinctive, markedly tippy dusty, floral-sweet, the darker leaves have got light nutty aroma instead. Yin Zhen (Silver needle) is the highest grade of white tea. There are just tips reaching given minimal size harvested in the high-mountains gardens of Fujian province, and they are only dried after warming. The taste of the infusion is usually very delicate, strongly tippy dusty, sweetish, often with floral or fruity, more rarely creamy tones. This very famous tea is usually drunk from glasses, so it is possible to watch the leaves laid upright towards the level of the infusion.
Chinese half-green teas Shui Hsien is a basic grade of Chinese half-green tea. It is produced from fully unfolded leaves of so called tea tree jat, that is why the leaf is fermented and roasted for longer time while processed. The infusion has got a very delicate, sweetish, slightly nutty taste with a long afterglow. Se Chung is a basic grade of Chinese half-green tea, the leaf has got a metal blue gloss and it is rolled into a similar shape as Tie Guanyin. The infusion has got a pleasant fragrance and a sweetish taste with a long afterglow and a slightly stimulating effect. Tie Guanyin is a most famous Chinese half-green tea, produced from a tea tree variety of the same name in Fujian province. Long and thick leaves are rolled into an uneven round shape. The ratio of fermentation and roasting of the leaf differs according to the quality grade and local customs, that is why the taste of the infusion fluctuates from greenish, floral sweet and slightly nutty to strongly nutty, pleasantly astringent and slightly bread-like roasted. Tie Lohan is tea related to Tie Guanyin tea. However, the leaves are usually more fermented and loosely rolled, that is why the taste of this half-green tea is closer to Shui Hsien tea. The most important gardens producing this tea are located in Chuej-an region of the Fujian Province. Phoenix Tangchung is very famous Chinese half-green tea, harvested from the tree jats of tea plants and produced in very limited amount in several tea gardens, located on Fengchuang Mountain (Fenix) in the Guangdong Province. The processed leaf is long, with a natural shape and dark colour with a lighter centre, the infusion is famous for its long lasting taste with nutty and fruity tones. The relative kind of this tea is also very famous and storied half-green Dahong Pao, produced in the Wuyi Mountains in the Fujian Province, differing from Fenix Tanchung by its tiny leaf. However, the taste character of the infusion is quite similar.
Chinese red teas
Keemun is cultivated traditionally in Qimen region of the Anhui Province. It is one of the most reputable Chinese red teas. The leaves are tightly rolled into the shapes of tiny flat needles, which is a very demanding technology. The taste of the infusion is often slightly sweet and earthy, complete, sometimes with chocolate or floral tones. The typical feature of this tea is its strong honey aroma, sometimes with a smoky hint. Its fragrance is most commonly compared to the fragrance of blooming roses. Yunnan red teas are cultivated mainly in the southern part of the province in Sishuang Pan Na region. They are popular worldwide for its absolutely typical, earthy sweetish and slightly pleasantly astringent taste with often floral and smoky tones and a distinctive long lasting aroma . The highest grades of Yunnan red teas are famous for their harmonious, slightly floral, only minimally astringent, strongly honey taste. Panyong is a group of teas generally designated by this name, it is a traditional and famous representative of black teas produced in various provinces. This group includes three basic grades: Golden Monkey, Golden Needle and Congou. Panyong Golden Monkey is tea from a very early spring harvest, featuring very fragile and tiny leaves with an extremely high ratio of tips. Its taste is typical for its distinctively honey-sweet tones. Leaves of Panyong Golden Needle tea are harvested a bit later and are shaped and processed similarly as Lung Ching tea. This tea has also got a typical high ratio of tips in the leaf, however, the infusion taste is dominated by nutty to slightly coffee tones.
Dark teas
Pu Erh is black tea famous for its remedial effects, influencing especially digestive tract and metabolism on the whole. The most important production region of this tea is the Yunnan Province. Tea is made of especially big leaves of tea plants of the Tajie variety. The infusion has usually got a very dark and deep colour, and an extraordinarily complex, very strongly earthy, totally typical taste and an uncommutable fragrance. The remedial effects of Pu Erh tea are traditionally strengthened by adding chrysanthemum blossoms and thus making the traditional Canton tea speciality Gook Po Cha. Pu Erh is also traditionally moulded. The most famous tea of this type is Tuo Cha, high quality (usually Yunnan) Pu Erh, moulded into a shape of a bowl or a nest. There is also a green variety of Tuo Cha tea, characterized by a particularly strong, slightly grassy-sweet and distinctively smoky taste and an extremely stimulating effect on body as well as mind. The blocks or other shapes are usually made of lower grades of Pu Erh tea. Traditional aromatized teas Jasmine tea is made by perfuming green tea with jasmine blossoms (or more precisely petals). The qualitative grade of jasmine tea (and thus also its taste standard) is determined from qualitative grade of green tea used for perfuming. However, jasmine blossoms always add the infusion a special, slightly narcotic taste, typical just for jasmine teas. Lapsang Souchong is black tea which leaves are dried (after normal stoving) above smoldering sawdust made usually of pine wood and thus getting a typical resin taste and smoky aroma. Tea is famous for its strong stimulating physiological effects. Gook Pu Cha is made by adding whole chrysanthemum blossoms to Pu Erh tea. Chrysanthemum, used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine, strengthens remedial effect of this tea and add it a special, delicately floral and very pleasant taste.
Taiwan Pao Chung Oolongs of green type is produced mainly in Taiwan, although its home land is continental China , specifically the Fujian Province. Long, slim leaves are processed with technology with a certain phase, when they are wrapped into cotton paper and its drying is finished by heat. In this procedure the leaf is slightly fermented (about 16%), which is less than fermentation of traditional half-green teas, but more than green teas. That is why Pao Chung is sometimes represented as the grade between green and half-green teas. The infusion is usually green or yellow-green, with a delicious, floral and sweetish taste, the tendencies to get acrid which are typical for Dung Ti tea are reduced. Dung Ti is big-leaf, only very slightly fermented Oolong, whose long leaves are rolled into a loose round shape. The taste of the infusion is similar to Pao Chung by its character, however, it is more distinctive and pleasantly astringent, with a stronger aroma, typical for Taiwan teas. Oolongs of dark type More fermented Oolongs (about 60%) made most commonly of fully unfolded leaves of middle size with a high ratio of tips are Taiwan specialities. Mostly they are named by a nominal label taken from English (Fine, Choicest, Fancy, Superior Fancy, Toppest etc.), eventually from Chinese (Bai Hao). The highest grades are sometimes labelled with a poetic name (e.g. Buttefly of Taiwan). The typical sign of these Oolongs is a strongly floral, rarely even muscatel, markedly sweet taste with nutty and tippy dusty tones, a typical aroma and very euphorising effects.
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