World Tea Day: One of The World's 3 Major Beverages, Tasting China's 7 Major Teas

Tea is one of the world's three major beverages, with more than 2 billion people drinking tea worldwide. China is the hometown of tea and the earliest country in the world to drink tea and cultivate tea trees. In November 2019, the U.N. General Assembly announced that May 21 of each year would be designated as "International Tea Day". This is the first time that tea-producing countries, mainly China, have successfully promoted the establishment of an international festival in the agricultural field. The general acceptance of tea and tea culture by the international community has witnessed the integration and communication of human civilization and the formation of common tea drinking habits.

When tea culture developed during the Qing Dynasty, although the luxurious group tea and cake tea had been replaced by loose tea, my country's tea culture completed the transformation from prosperity to a top level in the Qing Dynasty. The most prominent feature of tea drinking in the Qing Dynasty was the emergence of seven major tea systems, namely green tea, black tea, yellow tea, dark tea, white tea, oolong tea, and scented tea.

Today, we will introduce them to you in the most down-to-earth way with our 17-year-old tea artist - no obscure professional terms, only real taste comparison and practical suggestions! The seven major teas are the classifications produced by different processing techniques and quality differences of tea leaves.

•  Read more: 10 Health Benefits of Tea

Green tea

Green tea belongs to non-fermented tea (fermentation degree: 0 )

Green tea process: fresh leaves - cooling - killing green - rolling - drying

The tea soup and leaf bottom of the finished tea after brewing are mainly green. The raw materials are mostly young buds and young leaves, which are not suitable for long-term storage. The fragrance is fresh and the taste is light and slightly bitter.

Some famous green teas: West Lake Longjing, Biluochun, Xinyang Maojian, Taiping Houkui, Lu'an Guapian

Black tea

Black tea belongs to fully fermented tea (fermentation degree: 100%)

Black tea process: fresh leaves - withering - rolling - fermentation - drying

The tea soup of the finished tea after brewing is mostly dark red, and black tea is usually in fragments and strips. The raw materials include large leaves, medium leaves, and small leaves, and most of them are chopped. The aroma is the most intense and long-lasting, and the taste is sweet and mellow.

Some famous black teas: Zhengshan Xiaozhong, Keemun black tea, Zhenghe Kungfu, Dianhong Kungfu, Jinjunmei

Yellow tea

Yellow tea is a lightly fermented tea (fermentation degree: 10%)

Yellow tea process: fresh buds-killing-steaming-drying

The tea soup after brewing the finished tea is "yellow soup, yellow leaves", and the golden yellow is the best. The raw materials are made of buds or buds and leaves, and the taste of yellow tea is fresh and mellow.

Some famous yellow teas: Junshan Yinzhen, Mengding Huangya, Huoshan Huangya, Guangdong Dayeqing, Pingyang Huangtang

White tea

White tea is also a lightly fermented tea (fermentation degree 10%)

White tea process: fresh leaves-withering-baking-screening-re-firing-packing

The tea soup after brewing the finished tea is light in color, white with a hint of green. The raw materials are strong or tender buds, and the tender buds and leaves are covered with fine white hairs, which is why the name of white tea comes from this. White tea has a clear taste, fresh and refreshing, and a mellow taste.
Some famous white teas: Fuding white tea, Shoumei, Gongmei, White Peony, Baihao Silver Needle, Zhenghe white tea.

Oolong tea (also known as green tea)

Oolong tea is a partially fermented tea (fermentation degree: 10%~70%). Oolong tea process: fresh leaves-withering-making green-killing-rolling-drying. The finished tea is honey yellow after brewing. The raw materials are two leaves and one bud, with branches and leaves connected, mostly opposite leaves and mature buds and leaves. Oolong tea has the richest aroma, ranging from fresh floral fragrance, fruity fragrance to ripe fruity fragrance. The taste is mellow and sweet, slightly bitter and sweet.

Some famous oolong teas: Dongding Oolong, Tieguanyin, Dahongpao, Fenghuang Dancong, Wuyi Cinnamon

Dark tea

Dark tea is a post-fermented tea

Dark tea process: fresh leaves-killing-rolling-pile-drying

The tea soup after brewing is green-brown, orange-yellow, or brown. The raw materials are selected from the thick old stem leaves or fresh leaves of tea trees, such as large-leaf species. Dark tea has a pure aroma and mellow taste. Due to the special nature of the process, dark tea can be preserved for a long time.

Some famous dark teas: Pu'er cooked tea, Liubao tea, Fu brick tea, black brick tea, Hunan dark tea

Flower tea

Flower tea is a reprocessed tea (a certain tea + a certain flower, such as osmanthus Longjing tea)

Flower tea process: tea base processing-fresh flower maintenance-scented flower blending-through flower heat dissipation-pile up and continue to scent-start flower-re-fire and cool-pack.

After brewing, the finished tea soup is yellow-green or light yellow, and the bottom of the leaves is even and bright. The raw material is tea leaves with scented flowers and roasted, and jasmine, rose, orchid, etc. can be used to make tea. The fragrance of flower tea is fragrant and sharp, fresh and fragrant, and the taste is mellow and fresh, not bitter or astringent.

Some famous flower teas: Bitan Piaoxue, Jasmine Dragon Ball, Jasmine Silver Needle, Daughter Ring, White Jasmine

With the vigorous promotion of the "Belt and Road" initiative, Chinese tea has once again become the darling of East-West exchanges. From April to August 2021, the first tea train in Sichuan, the first tea train in the Yangtze River Delta, the first Central Asian train in Xixiang, Shaanxi, and the first tea train in Anhui set off one after another, transporting fresh Chinese tea to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. On July 20, 2022, the first tea train from Hunan to ASEAN countries whistled off from Huaihua West Logistics Park and eventually flowed to the vast ASEAN market. On August 26, 2022, the first tea train from Hubei to Russia departed from Wuhan, and the China-Russia "Tea Road" once again sounded the strong voice of the times of mutual exchange.

The opening of the "tea train" not only promoted the development of the international tea trade but also promoted the exchange of tea culture between the East and the West. Chinese tea culture integrates the philosophical thoughts of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and embodies the coexistence concept of "respect", "harmony", and "cooperation" of the Chinese nation. "Respect" means respect and acceptance, "harmony" means valuing harmony, peaceful coexistence, seeking common ground while reserving differences, and "cooperation" means win-win cooperation, mutual benefit, and mutual growth. They are highly consistent with the "peaceful cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning, mutual benefit and win-win" advocated by the "Belt and Road". Through the dissemination of the concepts of making friends with tea, making friends with tea, guiding harmony with tea, treating each other with courtesy, respecting each other with tea, and tea and the world, a solid public opinion foundation has been laid for the countries along the "Belt and Road" to seek common ground while reserving differences, peaceful coexistence, coexistence and prosperity, and build a community with a shared future for mankind.

People-to-people exchanges are the foundation of cultural exchanges, and people-to-people exchanges pursue cultural coexistence and value sharing. Tea is an important carrier for the dissemination of Chinese civilization and a bridge and bond connecting relevant countries and regions. Tea and the world, taste and share. Faced with the great changes that have not been seen in a century, tea culture will continue to play an important role in promoting cultural exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese nation and other nations in the world.