China is the homeland of tea, with over 4,000 years of tea drinking. Teas fall into six categories: green, black, oolong, white, yellow and dark (pu-erh). Longjing (green), Tieguanyin (oolong) and pu-erh (dark) are the most famous.
Different teas need different brewing: green tea at about 80°C, black tea at 90-100°C, and oolong as "gongfu tea" — small cups, slow brewing. Tea is not just thirst-quenching; it is a way of life: chatting with friends, doing business, calming the mind.
China has a whole "tea culture": tea ceremonies, teahouses, and the ancient Tea-Horse Road. Tea also makes a great gift. First time? Start with a gentle flower tea or black tea and slowly find what you like.
Tea is the most ordinary drink in Chinese life, and the deepest study. Chinese people have drunk tea for thousands of years; it is woven into daily life: guests arrive, brew tea first; business is discussed at the tea table.
Chinese tea has many types, mainly six categories: green, black (hong), oolong, white, yellow, and dark tea. Each has different processing and taste.
Green tea is most common - clear soup, green leaves, fresh taste; black tea is warm, good for winter; oolong sits between, richly fragrant; dark tea ferments and grows better with age - Pu-erh is a kind of dark tea.
Brewing has its art: water temperature, teaware, time all affect the taste. Connoisseurs use purple-clay pots for oolong and glass cups for green tea, watching leaves unfurl - itself a pleasure.
"Gongfu tea" in Guangdong and Fujian: small pots and cups, brewing slowly, one pot savoured for hours. It is not just tea but socialising and an attitude to life.
Chinese drink tea not merely to quench thirst. Tea holds philosophy: bitter first, sweet after - the taste of tea, and of life. The ancients said "tea is like life".
If you come to China, try these words: "lǜchá" green tea, "hóngchá" black tea, "wūlóngchá" oolong, "pǔ'ěrchá" Pu-erh, "gōngfuchá" gongfu tea. Sit an afternoon in a teahouse and you understand why Chinese love tea so.
Tea is China gift to the world. In one cup: thousands of years of history, and the sincerity of Chinese hospitality.
The teahouse culture is charming: in old teahouses people play chess, chat and crack melon seeds, one cup lasting from morning to night; in modern tea-drink shops young people queue for milk tea. Tea has always been the medium of Chinese friendship. Remember: come to China, learn to drink tea first, then make friends.
To make tea a habit, try "green tea in the morning, oolong in the afternoon". Many Chinese believe tea not only keeps you healthy but calms the mind. At weekends, invite friends to a teahouse - a pot of tea, some snacks, an afternoon of talk: the most traditional Chinese socialising and the most relaxing pleasure. Take it slow; tea tastes better with time, just as Chinese gets more interesting the more you learn.
A fine cup of tea, a fine moment - that is the simplest Chinese happiness.
Brew a cup now - Chinese tea awaits your taste.
Cheers! Tea in place of wine, to friendship.
