The Chinese Tea History

Tea has long been part of the Chinese culture.  For the Chinese, tea is one of the seven necessities to begin a day. 

Well, China is obviously the homeland of tea.  According to some Chinese tea history resources, it was in the southwest part of the country that the tea was first found.

Legend has it that the God of Agriculture (GoA) was said to be the one who found the tea.  He was one of the prehistoric representatives of Chinese people.   It was stated in the GoA’s Book of Herbs that GoA personally tasted hundreds of herb.  In the single day, he was hit by 72 poisons.  But, he discovered the tea tree and used the tea leaves to neutralize all poisons.   For many people, this is probably the earliest record of tea among the Chinese.

The Evolution

As often noted in some Chinese tea history resources, the Chinese tea has been around for thousands of years, approximately 4,000 years.  It was first discovered and used as a medicine, and then it evolved into a beverage, and later became a major part of the Chinese culture.

Chinese Tea’s Infancy

Prior to 8^th century B.C., the Chinese tea was used primarily as a medicine.  Chinese tea history books noted that during the Chun Qiu Period (770 BC – 476 BC), the Chinese people chewed tea leaves and enjoyed the taste of tea juicy itself.

Tea Evolved into Food and Beverage

From 8^th century onwards, the Chinese realized that the tea can be used as food and beverage.  So, they started to cook tea like a soup.  The tea leaves were eaten along with the soup.  The Chinese teas were even blended with food.  Ancient Chinese tea history books documented that the tea during that time was even eaten and used with other spices for cooking.

Then, During the Qin, Han Dynasty (221 BC – 8 AD), simple processing of the Chinese tea began.  It was further documented in some of the Chinese tea history books that the tea leaves were that time pressed into ball shapes, dried and stored.  When served, the tea balls are crushed and mixed with green onion, ginger and other spices, and then blended in teapots.  Note that this is actually the point where the Chinese tea turned from a medicine into a beverage.  This period also marked the beginning of Chinese tea being used to treat guests.

As Part of the Chinese Culture

During the Jin Dynasty and Nan Bei Zhao (265 AD – 589 AD), the Chinese tea evolved from a palace treat to a common beverage.  Later, during the Tang Dynasty (618 AD – 907 AD), tea trading had become extremely busy.  Lots of famous teas were then developed.

According to some Chinese tea history books, the tea was processed and circulated in the form of tea cakes in the Tang era.  People started to get serious about making tea, and specialized tea tools emerged and tea books were published.   The art of Chinese tea then started to take shape.

In the dawn of Song Dynasty, the tea was kept in the shape of balls and cakes.  When served, it was crushed and boiled with seasoning material.  However, as the drinkers became more particular, they paid more respect to the original color, taste and shape of the leaves.  Seasoning then faded out and loose leaf tea began to take the center stage.

From the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) onward, the tea completed the process of moving from boiling to brewing.  And, after Ming Dynasty, numerous types were invented.  From then on, the art of Chinese tea is perfected continuously, until today.

Chinese White Tea and Its Types

Generally, Chinese white teas are considered to be the rare in China. They are rare in China since most of the white tea is exported. Well, for long years, the Chinese tea drinkers have been hip to white tea’s benefits, until recently it was virtually unknown outside of Asia. But, not anymore because today, everyone from chefs to medical researchers is praising the delicate flavor and purported health benefits of the Chinese white tea. But what really is Chinese white tea? Chinese white tea is sometimes considered as a subclass of green tea. It is slightly fermented with its body covered with fluffy white hair. It is usually harvested in the cold of earliest spring when tea bushes have just shed their protective scales on the tips of their branches to show to the world their fuzzy white down on the leaf buds. These delicate buds are among the most carefully plucked and processed of all teas. The buds, as well as the first few unfurling leaves are not allowed to oxidize whatsoever. What happens is that immediately after picking, the buds are naturally dried in sunlight or inside under low heat in a very well-ventilated structure. Unlike the oolong, black and pu-erh teas which undergo cellular oxidization to develop fragrance, color and flavor, most Chinese white teas are formulated with the absence of such processing step. This then results in a beverage whose taste is closest to fresh leaves from the tea bush. Classifications of Chinese White Tea Just like the other varieties of Chinese tea, white tea is divided into different types. To mention, there are the Silver Tip white tea and White peony tea as two of the most commonly well-known varieties. Let’s take a look at each of them: • Silver Tip White Tea – This variety of Chinese white tea is produced at Fuding and Zhenghe areas in Fujian province. Many tea drinkers consider this as a top grade white tea. In the processing, the single buds are plucked right when they fully develop and are ready to open. The beautifully acerose buds are covered with silvery hairs, hence the tea named “silver tip white tea”. Also, this Chinese white tea is taken as “the beauty” in teas. Many tea lovers also describe this tea as “white like cloud, green like dream, pure like snow, aromatic like orchid”. And, as commonly noted, every bud stands in the cup upright just like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, when infusing. • White Peony Tea – Also known as “Pai Mu Dan”, this Chinese white tea variety is made from the buds and leaves that remain after the famous silver tip white tea has been harvested. This is sweet and mild, yet very full-bodied. Also, the cup color is darker and the aroma is bolder. Its natural sweetness clearly determines the close relationship to the silver tip white tea. • Gong Mei – This is the third grade of Chinese white tea. The production of this tea uses leaves from the Xiao Bai or Small White tea trees. • Shou Mei – This is a fruity furry Chinese white tea that is a chaotic blend of tips and upper leaf. According to some Chinese tea drinkers, Shou Mei has a stronger flavor than other white teas, similar to oolong. Also, it is the fourth grade of white tea and is plucked later than the White Peony, hence the tea may be darker in color. Today, these varieties have reached America and many market researches predict that consumers will soon share their enthusiasm, turning the Chinese white tea into one of the hottest new food trends.

Chinese Tea Cups

As you all know, the Chinese are so meticulous when it comes tea wares. Perhaps this is due to the fact that tea wares like the Chinese tea cups and tea pots play a very important role in the tea preparation. A tea ceremony would not be successful without the use of tea wares. As many people said, the true essence of a Chinese tea ceremony would not be felt if tea wares are lacking. One of most necessary item in a typical Chinese tea set is the Chinese tea cup. Well, tea cups come in different designs and forms these days. They even differ according to their uses. In this article, I will mention three of the most well-known and highly purchased Chinese tea cups these days. Note that these tea cups are now available in the market and you can even found them online, particularly at EnjoyingTea.com. Consider the following varieties of a Chinese tea cup: Filtering Tea Cups As the name implies, filtering tea cups or mugs are used by tea drinkers to primarily filter the tea. Most of this kind of Chinese tea cup are designed and crafted with internal filters. Here are few samples of filtering tea cups: • Yixing Clay Filtering Mug – This tea mug is made in Jiangsu province, an area situated 120 miles northwest of Shanghai China. For centuries, the Yixing wares are known to be the best vessels for tea. They were made in purple clay and are said to absorb the aroma and flavors of the Chinese tea. These Chinese tea cups are also said to have the ability to withstand high temperatures and are slow to conduct heat. Therefore, the handle remains comfortably cool even when enjoying very hot tea. And, to enhance the practical usage, this Chinese tea cup has an internal filter. • Poet Filtering Tea Cup – This Chinese tea cup is actually a porcelain mug which is deemed as a perfect companion for enjoying loose tea leaves. It comes with its own lid and an internal porcelain filter, allowing room for tea leaves to expand and provide full infusion of the leaves. Today, this variety of Chinese tea cup depicts a picture of a Tang dynasty poet inspired by outdoor beauty. Cast Iron Tea Cups • Black Cast Iron Tea Cup – This item has long been considered as perfect for enjoying tea. It can serve as a great companion for any cast iron teapots and being a classical teapot, it is made from sturdy iron and has enamel coating on the interior to prevent rusting. It is worth noting that this Chinese tea cup now comes in different color. Specialty Tea Cups • Small Peony Flower Gaiwan – As the name implies, this porcelain Gaiwan has a lovely peony flower design. Gaiwan actually originated from Ming Dynasty and became popular during the Chine Dynasty in China. Accordingly, this Chinese tea cup is large enough to accommodate tea brewing, yet small enough to be held comfortably for drinking. • Four Season Character Tea Cup – This is but an exquisite porcelain tea cup. It has four season calligraphy character at all sides, so the name bears it.

Types of Chinese Tea

Probably you are familiar with the Chinese saying, “Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea are the seven necessities to begin a day.” Though tea is last on the list, we can still see how important the tea is for the Chinese. There are actually thousand of Chinese tea varieties. These are usually classified by procedure, quality, and preparation methods and so on. However, if we will consider tea in terms of quality, there are actually eight classes of Chinese tea. These include green tea, oolong, black, red, white, yellow, flower, and compressed tea. Now, let’s take a look at these classes one by one.

• Green Tea Green tea is said to be the most natural type of Chinese tea. It is usually picked, naturally dried and fried briefly to get rid of its grassy smell. Unlike the other types, green tea skipped fermentation process. According to some experts, green tea has the most medicinal value and the least caffeine content of all Chinese tea classes. The aroma of this type of Chinese type range from medium to high, while the flavor is usually light to medium. Today, about 50% of China’s tea is green tea.
•  Oolong Tea  This type of Chinese tea is halfway between green tea and black tea in a sense that it is half fermented. Chinese also call it “Qing Cha” and its typical leaves are green in the middle and red on the edges as a result of the process to soften tea leaves. Oolong tea leaves are basically withered and spread before undergoing a brief fermentation process. Then, it is fried, rolled and roasted.  
• Black Tea  The Chinese black tea produces full-bodied amber when brewed. Also, this type of Chinese tea undergoes withering, then left to ferment for a long while, and then roasted. The leaves of this variety become completely oxidized after processing. 
•  Red tea As the name implies, this type of Chinese tea has red leaves and red tea color. This color is strongly highlighted during the fermentation process. It is also considered that red tea has low aroma and medium flavor and it is now divided into three subclasses: Kung Fu Red Tea, Ted Tea Bits, and Small Species Red Tea.
•  White tea This type of Chinese tea is sometimes considered as subclass of green tea. Perhaps it is for the fact that it is only withered and then roasted. Just like green tea, white tea escaped fermentation process. And, it has low caffeine content.
•  Yellow Tea Apparently, yellow tea has yellow leaves and yellow tea color. According to some experts, this type of Chinese tea is an uncommon class of Chinese tea. The flavor of yellow tea is usually mild and refreshing.
•  Flower Tea  Here is a unique type of Chinese tea – the Flower tea. It actually subdivides into Flower Tea and Scented Tea. Well, the Flower Tea is just based on a simple concept that dried flowers are used, without much processing, to make tea. The Scented Tea, on the other hand, uses green tea and red tea as base and mix with scent of flowers. Generally, this class has light to medium flavor and medium to strong aroma. 
•  Compressed Tea  The final type of Chinese tea is the compressed tea. This class uses black tea as base tea. It is steamed and compressed into bricks, cakes, columns, and other shapes. Also, compressed tea has all the characteristics of black tea. It can be stored for years and decades.