A Tea Trivia

The Six Major Tea Types in China

Arranged according to the degree of fermentation from low to high

Green Tea, White Tea, Yellow Tea, Green Tea, Black Tea, Black Tea

Green Tea

The degree of fermentation:Unfermented Tea.

Process:Killing → kneading → drying.

The killing of green tea plays a decisive role in the quality of green tea.

Quality characteristics: clear soup green leaves, taste astringent; green color and tea broth more preserved the green tone of fresh tea leaves, the so-called dry tea green, tea broth green, leaf bottom green.

Famous tea representatives: Biluochun, West Lake Longjing, Huangshan Maofeng, etc.; Anji white tea is called white tea, but from the process of judgment is also green tea.

White Tea

Fermentation:Micro-fermented tea.

Process:Withering→drying.

White tea is made in the most natural way.

Characteristics:The appearance of the buds and hairs are complete, full of hairs, hair aroma fresh, soup color is yellowish-green and clear, the taste is light and sweet. It can be stored, there is "one year tea, three years medicine, seven years treasure".

Famous tea representatives: Fuding White Tea, Zhenghe White Tea, varieties include White Hair Silver Needle, White Peony, Gongmei, Shoumei.

Yellow Tea

Fermentation:Lightly fermented tea

Process:Killing→Kneading→Twisting→Smothering→Drying

The process is similar to that of Green Tea, except that a "smothering" process is added before or after the drying process, which partially oxidizes polyphenols such as chlorophyll.

Quality characteristics: yellow leaves and yellow soup, compared with green tea, less fresh, more mellow.

Famous tea representatives: Junshan silver needle, Mengding yellow bud, Yuanan yellow tea.

Green Tea (Oolong Tea)

Fermentation:Semi-fermented tea.

Process:withering→greening→frying→twisting→drying.

Produced with proper fermentation to make the leaves slightly reddish, it is a kind of tea between green tea and black tea.

Quality characteristics: Because the middle of the leaf is green and the edge of the leaf is red, so it is called "green leaves with red edges". The tea has the freshness of green tea and the sweetness of black tea.

Representatives of famous teas: Anxi Tieguanyin, Wuyi Rock Tea, Taiwan Jieding Ding Oolong, Phoenix single fir.

Black Tea

Fermentation:Fully fermented tea.

Process:Withering→Twisting→Fermentation→Drying.

Quality Characteristics:Red soup and red leaves, mellow flavor.

Famous tea representatives: Keemun black tea, Zhengshan Xiaojiao, Jiuqu Hongmei, etc.; the four major international black tea, including Keemun black tea (China), Ceylon Highland black tea (Sri Lanka), Darjeeling black tea (India), Assam black tea (India).

Black Tea

Fermentation:Post-fermented tea.

Process:Killing→Kneading→Twisting→Warming→Drying.

Wadding is the key process to form the color and aroma of black tea.

Quality Characteristics:The appearance of the finished tea is black, the tea broth is orange/yellow/red, and the flavor is mellow and heavy.

Representatives of famous teas:Yunnan Puerh ripe tea, Wuzhou Six Castles tea, Shaanxi Fu tea, etc.