The first part of learning tea, understanding the six major tea categories
Green tea
Fermentation degree: unfermented tea, fermentation degree lt; 5, cold in nature. Production process: Greening → rolling → drying and greening are the key to green tea processing. High temperature kills many enzymes in fresh tea leaves, forming the "three greens" characteristics of green tea. Features: "green leaves in clear soup", dry tea green, tea soup green, leaf base green, fresh aroma, fresh and sweet taste. Representatives of famous teas: West Lake Longjing, Biluochun, Xinyang Maojian, Lu'an Guapian, Anji White Tea, etc.
White tea
Fermentation degree: slightly fermented tea, fermentation degree 1020, cold in nature. Production process: withering → drying The production process is the simplest among the six major teas. Fresh leaves covered with white hairs are picked during the withering process. More than half of the catechins in fresh leaves are decomposed, reducing the bitterness of the tea and developing a unique aroma.
Characteristics: The color is silver-white, gray-green, like needles like snow, hence the name, and the soup is yellow-white. The longer the white tea is stored, the higher its medicinal value will be. It is known as "one year of tea, three years of medicine, seven years of treasure". Representative famous teas: Silver Needle, Moonlight White, White Peony, Shoumei, Gongmei, etc.
Yellow tea
Fermentation degree: lightly fermented tea, fermentation degree 20~30, cool in nature. Production process: greening → rolling → dull yellow → drying and dull yellow are the key to yellow tea processing. Tea polyphenols are decomposed and transformed during this process, making the taste of yellow tea more mellow. According to the different yellowing stages of various yellow teas, it can be divided into wet and dull yellowing and dry green and dull yellowing. Features: Yellow soup, yellow leaves, pure aroma, and mellow taste. Compared with green tea, it is less fresh and more mellow. Representative famous teas: Junshan Yinzhen, Mengding Huangya, Weishan Maojian, etc.
Green tea (oolong tea)
Fermentation degree: semi-fermented tea, fermentation degree 30~60, warm in nature. Production process: withering → greening → frying green → rolling → shaping → drying Greening is the key to green tea processing. The edges of the fresh leaves collide and turn red during the greening process, forming the appearance of "green leaves with red edges", and the development of oolong tea Unique aroma. Features: Green leaves with red edges. Representative famous teas: Wuyi Rock Tea, Tieguanyin, Phoenix Dancong, Oriental Beauty, Taiwan Dongding Oolong, etc.
Black tea
Fermentation degree: fully fermented tea, fermentation 80~100, warm in nature. Production process: withering → rolling → fermentation → drying Fermentation is the key to black tea processing. Polyphenol oxidase oxidizes tea polyphenols to form thearubigins, theaflavins, and theabrownins. The fresh tea leaves change from "green" to "red" . Features: red soup and red leaves. Representative famous teas: Dianhong, Keemun black tea, Lapsang souchong, etc.
Dark tea
Fermentation degree: post-fermented tea, fermentation degree O0, warm in nature. Production process: withering → blanching → rolling → stacking → drying and stacking is the key process to form the quality of dark tea. At present, dark tea production areas are mainly distributed in Hunan, Hubei, Yunnan, Guangxi, Sichuan and other places. Features: The tea leaves are thick and old, fine and black in color, and have a mellow and fragrant taste. Representative famous teas: Pu'er ripe tea, Liubao tea, Anhua dark tea, Laoqingzhuan, etc.