The Art of Chinese Tea

All teas come from the Camellia Sincnsis. All teas are classified under the six main types of tea; that is, it does mot include herbal teas or other teas that do not include the real tealeaves. This plant is rich in antioxidants which have been shown to fight aging.

It is an interesting fact that the English tea and the Chinese Oolong or the Japanese green teas all come from the same plant. However, they taste different because of the differences in the manufacturing process.

The main component of tea is Catechines. The percentage of catechins that are in particular teas is as follows:

Dry black tea 3-10%

Oolong tea 8-20%

Green tea leaves 20-30%

Greentea power 90%

There are many proven benefits of drinking tea. Some of them are:

1. Tea builds up the immunity system

2. Tea helps to prevents cancer, high blood pressure diabetes lowers blood pressure.

3. Tea helps in recovery of illnesses

4. Tea stimulates the central nervous system with caffeine

5. Tea helps to fight the ageing process

Locations of tea gardens in China

The location of tea gardens in China are found from Central to Southern China. In the Central and Southwest of China lies the tea growing region of Sichuan and Yunnan. In the central to Southeast part of China lies Hubei, Anxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Hunnan province. In the far Southeast region lies Guangxi, Chaozhou, Fujian, Tanwan and Hinnan regions of tea-growing. Finally in the central China belt, there is the Henan region.

Oolong tea

Oolong is semi-fermented. It is grown especially in the southern regions of China like Taiwan, Chaozhou and Fujian. One of the most famous tea regions in Fujian is Anxi. There are 11 main types of Oolong. Japanese, too, love Oolong tea. They buy it prepared containers and these are processed tea. Oolong is also a favorite drink among Southeast Asianst. Very often, the tea is consumed together with Cantonese stlye dim sum or Hokkien/TeoCew stlye Bak kut teh (a dish of pork stewed with spices like pepper, cloves, nutmeg etc.).

Some westerners feel that Oolong is bitter. However, others feel that it leaves a sweet aftertaste after drinking it.

Japanese people like to drink Oolong cha tea. It is especiallu so during the summer as they believe that this Oolong tea actually soothes the body during the hot months of the summer. Most of the oolong tea found in Japan is imported from China. Oolong tea is fermented and most of ot comes from Fujian Province, Taiwan ,Chaozhou. They are also sometime panfriend.

Black tea

Black Tea is another type of tea that is grown in China, and South Asia. The tea is called black tea because of its dark color. It is a popular tea in the west. In Chinese, however, it is called red tea when translated literally. To the Chinese, the color resembles red more then black.

Black tea is fermented and there are about twenty main type of black tea in China. In Africa, black tea is sometimes drunk with mint leaves. In the west and in Singapore, it is drunk with milk and sugar. Chinese innovations have resulted in a new type of delicacy-Black tea eggs. Lovers of this dish say that black tea eggs taste better than eggs cooked with Chinese tealeaves. You be the judge.

Scented tea

Scented tea is proessed tea by infusing tea leaves with scents of flower petals within a closed compound. Basically the formula is x tea +y flowers = xy tea. Thus in Chinese language termiinology: Oolong tea + Jsmine flower = Jsmine Oolong tea. Thus, the classification of scented tea is according to the categories of tea and flowers that it originated from.

Scented tea is excellent for people who are not used to the strong taste of tea and is excellent accompaniment for meals. They are also drunk often with light meals like dim sum. It is also a habit for many Chinese to add a sugar cube or two to enhance the taste.

White tea

White tea is slightly fermented. Its taste tends to be described as light with a sweet aftertaste. However, different people have different interpretation of its taste.

White tea is only grown in China and nowhere else. It is produced in the province of Fujian. Fujian is the main tea-growing region in China as its climate is suitable for cultivating such tea. The other well-known tea produced in this region is Oolong tea.

White tea is complicated in its origins as it is classified according to the degree of maturation of leaves. The types of white tealeaves includs white peony, Kung mee.

The tea leaves of white tea is unique in its shape. When you open the container you will see many white tea leaves in the shape of eye brows. That is why they are often described as eye brow tea leaves by the Chinese. Thus applies to most but not all white tea leaves.

Compressed tea

Compressed tea is found mainlu in the south. It is the oldest form of tea made in China. It is still used by some tribes in the southern part of China as a form of medication or Shanmen magic. It is made by high compression into shaps resembling bricks. Thus, they can also be known as brick tea. In fact, this is the direct translation of its original Chinese terminology.

Compressed tea is classilied according to the type of tea that it originated from. For example, if Pu Er tea is compressed then it is called compressed Pu Er tea. Alternatively, it can be known by its genetic name Compressed black tea as Pu Er is a from of black tea. Sometimes, Pu Er can be spelled as Puer.

Some classify tea leaves according to the nature of compression.

Ginseng tea

The Chinese have been drink ginseng tea for their health for thousands of years and they were followed suit by Koreans. Thus, you can often find Korean, Chinese ginsengs in any of the Chinese medicine shops. However, the weather and soil conditions of US and Canada are also suitable for growing ginseng. As a result, there have been great exports of such ginseng to China or overseas Chinese communities as well as Korea.

American Ginseng has multiple benefits according to Chinese medicine. It could bring body heat down for example. Body heat is effected by hot weather, stress or spicy food. It’s symptoms could be sore throat, rashes etc.. There are many other purposes for drinking ginseng tea.

The principle ingredients of American ginseng tea are panax quinquefolium, herba lysimachiae and radix glycyrrhizae. Usually half of the contents would be the first item and the latter two items would usually be mixed in almost equal proportions. American ginseng is gown in Nothe America, mostly found in the temperate belts of North America in states such as Wisconsin. American ginseng is also sometimes referred to as quinquefolium.

Experts in Chinese medicine recommend that it should be drink daily or whenever one is feeling unwell. However, it should only be a secondary boost to health and not used as a primary form of cure for any illnesses, paricularly serious ones. It shouls be used for maintaining health and not curing diseases or illnesses.

Sometimes, other ingredients such as chrysanthemum or rock sugar is added to the drink to sweeten the drink or to lower the bitterness of the tea.

Lei Cha tea

There is a tea that is special to the Hakkes in China (Or Ke Jia in Hanyu Pinyin). It is called Lei Cha. It is basically tea that is mixed with beans (called mame in Japanese). Kidney beans as well as various other herbs to form an interesting infusion tea. They usually served it in a cup with a to stir the ingredients in the cup for maximum taste.

Green tea

Green tea in Asia is almost as popular as coffee is in the West. Japanese and Chinese green teas are filled with polyphone’s which are almost as 100 times as powerful as the antioxidant found in Vitamin C. It is been suspected that tea’s have the same properties known as catechins that prevents the uncontrollable growth of new blood vessels. This, many believe, help to stop cancer by preventing newly emerging tumors from growing by robbing them of their sustenance for growth. Catechine can also stop DNA deformations caused by carcinogens or cancer-causing substance initially deceloping.

Chinese scientists believe that green tea daily dosages help to bring about lower probabilities of cancer in the oesophagus, stomach and liver, Japanese scientists show that drinking up to ten sups or more in one day on daily basis may also cut down the risks of heart and coronary diseases. Some have even suggested that merely gargling the green in the mouth may stop bacteria from gathering in the teeth cavities. Experments with lab animals yided the result of lower incidences of skin cancer when green tea was applied to their epidermal layer. The results are still inconclusivs for black tea bur some suspect that they can be the same in terms of results.