Complete Basic Knowledge of Tea

Tea is a famous drink unique to China. Now I will introduce the basic knowledge of tea to you. I hope it will be helpful to you!

The origin and history of tea

Written records show that the Chinese began to cultivate and utilize tea trees more than 3,000 years ago. The earliest place of origin of tea tree is Xishuangbanna, Yunnan.

China’s Four Major Tea Regions

my country’s tea regions are widely distributed, starting from the eastern coast of Taiwan Province at 122 degrees east longitude in the east, to Yigong in the Tibet Autonomous Region at 95 degrees east longitude in the west, and from It stretches from Yulin, Hainan, at 18 degrees north latitude, to Rongcheng, Shandong, at 37 degrees north latitude, spanning 27 degrees of longitude from east to west, and 19 degrees of latitude from north to south. There are 21 provinces (cities, districts) and 967 counties and cities in China producing tea.

The country can be divided into four major tea areas: Jiangnan Tea Area, South China Tea Area, Southwest Tea Area, and Jiangbei Tea Area.

Jiangnan Tea Area

The tea area with the most famous teas, the main producing area of ??green tea, some black tea and oolong tea.

The Jiangnan Tea Area is located in the southern part of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including Zhejiang, Hunan, Jiangxi and other provinces as well as southern Anhui, southern Jiangsu, and southern Hubei. It is the main tea producing area in China, with annual output accounting for approximately 1% of the country's total. 2/3 of the output. The teas produced mainly include green tea, black tea, dark tea, scented tea and special famous teas of different qualities, such as West Lake Longjing, Tianmu Qingding, Huangshan Maofeng, Dongting Biluochun, Junshan Silver Needle, Lushan Yunwu, etc.

South China Tea Region

The southernmost tea region in China, mainly produces oolong tea, black tea, green tea, etc.

The South China Tea Area is located in southern my country, including Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Hainan and other provinces (regions). It is the most suitable place for tea trees to grow in China. There are various types of tea tree varieties such as trees, small trees, and shrubs. The tea resources are extremely rich, and black tea, oolong tea, scented tea, white tea, Liubao tea, etc. are produced.

Southwestern Tea Area

The origin of tea trees, mainly produces dark tea (Pu'er tea), green tea, black tea, etc.

The Southwest Tea Area is located in southwestern my country, including Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Chongqing and other provinces and cities as well as southeastern Tibet. It is the oldest tea area in China. It is rich in tea tree varieties and produces black tea, green tea, Tuo tea, pressed tea and Pu'er tea.

Jiangbei Tea Area

The northernmost tea area among the four major tea areas, mainly produces green tea.

Jiangbei tea area is located on the north bank of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in my country, including Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Shandong and other provinces, as well as northern Anhui, northern Jiangsu and northern Hubei. Jiangbei tea area is mainly rich in green tea.

Classification of tea trees and tea leaves

(1) Classification of tea trees

According to the size of the tree, it is divided into three types: tree type, semi-tree type and shrub type. ;

According to the leaf size, it is divided into three categories: large-leaf species, medium-leaf species and small-leaf species;

According to the degree of evolution, it is divided into three categories: primitive type, semi-primitive type and evolved type.

The arbor-type tea tree is tall, with an obvious trunk and high branches.

The semi-arbor type tea tree is also called the small arbor type tea tree. The tree shape is not as tall as the arbor type, but it has an obvious trunk and lower branches.

Shrub-type tea trees are short in shape, have no obvious trunk, have lower and more branches, and have dense buds, so they are harvested.

(2) Classification of tea

Basic tea types

Green tea (unfermented),

White tea, yellow tea (slightly fermented) ),

Oolong tea (green tea, light to moderate fermentation),

Black tea (complete fermentation),

Dark tea (complete fermentation, post-fermentation);

Processed tea

Scented tea, pressed tea, extracted tea, fruity tea, and tea drinks.

Basic knowledge of Chinese tea culture

1. The concept of tea culture

Broadly speaking - it refers to the material and spiritual wealth of tea in the entire development process of tea. the sum of.

Narrow sense - refers specifically to the "spiritual wealth" part, which is the study of the cultural and social phenomena produced in the process of tea being used.

2. Natural attributes and social attributes of tea culture

Natural attributes - tea products and functions of tea

Social attributes - people's attitude towards tea Utilization and reliance on tea.

(Note: A series of material, spiritual, customary, psychological and behavioral phenomena produced by tea and the people who use it.)

Contents in tea Ingredients

The content of the ingredients in tea varies with different tea types, different tea tree varieties, different production regions, different production seasons, different ecological and environmental conditions, different cultivation and management methods, and different processing technology. There are differences with different raw material levels.

According to modern scientific testing, tea contains more than 600 substances, including more than 500 organic substances, accounting for about 93.0% to 96.5% of the total; and more than 100 inorganic compounds, accounting for about 96.5% of the total. 3.5%~7.0%.

The nutrients in tea mainly include protein and amino acids, vitamins, minerals, sugars, fats, etc. The health care substances mainly include tea polyphenols, tea pigments, tea polysaccharides, tea saponins, alkaloids, Aromatic substances, etc.

Tea polyphenols

(Including catechins, flavonoids, flavonols, phenolic acids, anthocyanins, hydroxy-alkanols and other more than 40 substances compound), its content accounts for more than 15% of the total dry matter, and the highest content can exceed 40%, and the large leaf species is higher than the medium and small leaf species.

Tea pigments

(including chlorophyll, theaflavins, thearubigins, β-carotene, etc.), accounting for approximately 15.36% to 33.42% of the total dry matter.

Tea polysaccharide

It is a complex and highly variable mixture. It is an acidic protein and combined with a large number of mineral elements. Its content accounts for approximately 2.34% of dry matter. ~5.13%.

Tea saponin

It is a derivative of pentacyclic triterpenoids, and its content only accounts for about 0.07% of the total dry matter.

Protein and Amino Acid

Protein is a type of high molecular weight nitrogen-containing organic matter, accounting for about 20% to 30% of the total dry matter, but only about 10% is soluble in heat. water. There are more than 30 kinds of amino acids, the main components of protein in tea, most of which are necessary for the human body, and 8 of them cannot be synthesized by the human body itself.

The amino acid content in tea is about 2% to 5% of the total dry matter, of which theanine accounts for about 50% of the total amino acids, arginine accounts for about 13%, and aspartic acid Accounting for about 9%, glutamic acid accounts for about 8.7%, and the rest accounts for about 13%.

Alkaloids

are purine compounds, including caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline, accounting for about 3% to 5% of the total dry matter, of which caffeine accounts for 2% ~4%, theobromine and theophylline account for 1%.

Mineral elements

Tea is quite rich in mineral elements, with phosphorus and potassium being the highest, followed by calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese and aluminum, copper, zinc, sodium, sulfur, Selenium and fluorine are trace elements, 24 mineral elements necessary for the human body.

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