Drinking Chinese Tea in China

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On November 3, 2010, in Culinary Culture, Cultural Experience, Tips&Ideas, by Lesley

Green tea has always been a personal favourite of mine along with Jasmine tea and black tea and drank it like it was an accessory on my Travel to Beijing. The other day I went in to a restaurant where I usually have Chinese language lessons and whilst in the bar area I quickly asked for a Green Tea, I was going to grab a Green Tea from my hotel because in China they offer it to all residents complimentary to any of those staying in Beijing Hotels but seized the idea due to time constraints. I was served a cup of Green Tea with the tea bag in the cup and was then given a flask so that I could top my cup up with boiling water each time the tea was drunk.

A cup of Chinese Green Tea

The Tea bag was no ordinary tea bag as the leaves were in a nylon woven case and the string attached to the tea bag had a plastic leaf attached to it draped over the side of the cup. Never had I seen green tea presented like that before. The way it was presented was very acute. As I added the boiling water to the tea bag it served this thick, strong tasting green tea. It was delicious and as you drink the tea and keep adding water the taste started to get lighter almost giving nearly 1.5 litres of a strong tasting, thick green tea.

Ever since I experienced my first proper cup of Green tea in China I decided to go in to the depths of the unknown and find out where Green Tea is derived from and how it is made.

Green Tea is one of the four categories of Chinese Tea. This includes black tea, white tea and oolong tea. These are all produce from the Camellia Sinensis plant. Chinese tea generally represents Chinese tea leaves which have been processed using methods from Ancient China. According to a popular legend it was thought Chinese Emperor Shenning discovered green tea in 2737 BCE when he was in the countryside and stopped for a rest under a large tree with his servant.

He liked his water boiled so he was sure of its cleanliness. His servant was boiling a pot of water when a few leaves from a nearby tea bus fell in to the boiling water turning it a light brown. This oversight was unnoticed to the Emperor so when he had a drink of the water he found it to be mighty refreshing and hence tea was drunk for the first time.

From this knowledge with 9 main categories of Tea a vast variety of individual beverages are made. Researchers have found more than 1,000 variations of tea and most of them are from the strains of the Camellia Sinensis plant. One of the popular of this large number is Tie Guan Yin tea. Tie Guan Yin is traced back from the plant Anxi, in Fujan, Province fields. I haven’t been there myself but know it be a well known fact.

Tea Plantation

Most of the tea variations draw their characteristics from their local growing conditions where the leaves are picked from the fields. The larger variations of tea are harvested. These differences are made from tea processing. For example white and green teas are heat treated soon after picking to prevent oxidation. This is called fermentation which is caused by natural enzymes found in the tea. Oolong tea is partially oxidized, black and red teas are fully oxidized. Once the tea has been manufactured it is then distributed to be sold in supermarkets, shops, herbal stores and hence in hospitality.

Famous Teas in China:

West Lake Dragon Well: This is a green tea from the Chinese village dragon well. Dragon well is refreshingly smooth, sweet and delicate and known to be the best amongst most green teas.
Dianhong: Dianhong tea is a black tea in China and known to be the most famous in China. It has mellowness and subdues richness about it. The tea is enjoyed by many from the depths of China.
Pu’er tea: Pu’er tea is a loose leaf tea and derives from the Camellia Sinensis. This rich embodied tea is an unoxidized and processed from a large leaf. This tea is compressed and generally used to aid weight loss

As you already know some Chinese tea is used for weight loss and also greatly benefits some health issues. As previously mentioned there is a lot of information on Chinese Tea but for the most part never forget to enjoy a cup of Chinese Tea to supplement your meals while on your China Tours.