Categorizing Chinese tea is as complicated a task as categorizing wine. There are harvesting techniques. There are terroirs. There are tea masters. But for this guide, we’ve gone back to basics – what are the main categories of Chinese tea? Even this is subject to debate, so for the purposes of this article, we asked the expert who you're most likely to encounter: a Sanyuanli tea saleswoman in Beijing. If you disagree, take it up with her.
1. Green Tea 绿茶
The most popular tea in China, these unfermented leaves maintain their earthy flavor as a result of minimal processing. The most common varieties are from Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces. (Pictured is West Lake Longjing, the most famous green tea of all.)
2. White Tea 白茶
White tea undergoes the same minimal processing as green tea (leaving it somewhere between unfermented and slightly fermented), but with younger leaves. The result is mild and sweet. Like oolong, white tea is usually from Fujian.
3. Oolong Tea 乌龙茶
The most popular varieties of this light, floral-tasting tea are from the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian – but you can also find it in Guangdong and Taiwan. The leaves are typically long and curled.
4. Pu’er-Type Tea 普洱茶
Some categorize pu’er tea as black, but the processing is different. Pu’er – the dark, spicy tea from Yunnan – is known as ‘post-fermented tea’ due the microbial fermentation that takes place in the leaves after they’re exposed to oxygen and humidity.
5. Black Tea 黑茶
For black tea, producers fully ferment the leaves to give them a richer, heavier taste. The tea sometimes goes by hong cha (‘red tea’), in Chinese. It’s black tea though. (We told you this was complicated.)
Images by Holly Li
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