Chinese Tea Guide
Varieties of Tea
Tea is produced from leaves and leaf buds of Camellia sinensis, the tea plant. All tea varieties, such as green, oolong, and black tea, are harvested from this species, but differ by processing.
Processing and classification:
The main types of tea are distinguished by their processing.Leaves of Camellia sinensis, if not dried quickly after picking, soon begin to wilt and oxidise. This process resembles the malting of barley, in that starch is converted into sugars; the leaves turn progressively darker, as chlorophyll breaks down and tannins are released. The next step in processing is to stop the oxidation process at a predetermined stage by removing the water from the leaves via heating.
Tea is traditionally classified based on the degree or period of fermentation (oxidation) the leaves have undergone:
Green tea (綠茶)
The oxidation process is stopped after a minimal amount of oxidation by application of heat; either with steam, a traditional Japanese method; or by dry cooking in hot pans, the traditional Chinese method. Tea leaves may be left to dry as separate leaves or rolled into small pellets to make gun-powder tea. The latter process is time consuming and is typically done only with pekoes of higher quality. The tea is processed within one to two days of harvesting.
Oolong (烏龍茶)
Oxidation is stopped somewhere between the standards for green tea and black tea. The oxidation process will take two to three days.
Black tea/Red tea (紅茶)
The tea leaves are allowed to completely oxidise. Black tea is the most common form of tea in the western countries. The literal translation of the Chinese word is red tea, which may be used by some tea-lovers. However, red tea may also refer to rooibos, an increasingly popular South African tisane. The oxidation process will take around two weeks and up to one month. Black tea is further classified as either orthodox or CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl, a production method developed about 1932). Unblended black teas are also identified by the estate they come from, their year and the flush (first, second or autumn). Orthodox and CTC teas are further graded according to the post-production leaf quality by the Orange Pekoe system.
Pu-erh (普洱茶/黑茶)
Two forms of Pu-erh are available, green (青饼) and mature (熟饼). Mature Pu-erh is made from green Pu-erh tea leaf that has been allowed to go through a second stage of oxidation. This is done through a process similar to composting, except that both the moisture and temperature of the tea are carefully monitored. The tea is then usually compressed into various shapes including bricks, discs or spinning tops. While most teas are consumed within a year of production, pu-erh can be aged for many years to improve its flavour. Outside of Yunnan province, China where the tea is produced, the term Pu-erh is used directly to refer to the mature form of the tea. The tea is often steeped for long periods of time or even boiled (Tibetans boil it overnight). Pu-erh is considered a medicinal tea in China. Teas that undergo the composting such as mature Pu-erh are sometimes collectively referred to as Black tea (黑茶) in Chinese. This is not to be confused with the western term Black tea, which is known in Chinese as Red Tea (紅茶).
Yellow tea (黃茶)
Either used as a name of high-quality tea served at the Imperial court, or of special tea processed similarly to green tea, but with a slower drying phase.
Kukicha (茎茶)
Also called winter tea, kukicha is made from twigs and old leaves pruned from the tea plant during its dormant season and dry-roasted over a fire. Popular as a health food in Japan and in macrobiotic diets.