ar with the Chinese saying, “Firewood, rice,
oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea are the seven necessities to
begin a day.” Even though tea is listed last, it is still
obvious how important the tea is for the Chinese.
Thousands of Chinese tea varieties exist. These are usually
classified by processing, quality, preparation methods, and so
on. However, when considering tea in terms of quality, there
are in fact eight classes of Chinese tea. These consist of
black tea, green, white, oolong, yellow, red, flower, and
compressed tea.
Let’s examine at these classes one by one.
Black Tea
The Chinese black tea creates a full-bodied amber when brewed.
Also, this type of Chinese tea undergoes withering, left to
ferment for a substantial time, and then roasted. The leaves of
this variety become thoroughly oxidized after processing.
Green Tea
Green tea is considered the most natural type of Chinese tea.
It is usually picked, naturally dried and fried briefly to rid
it of its grassy aroma. Unlike the other types, green tea is
not put through the fermentation process.
According to some experts, green tea has the highest medicinal
value and the lowest caffeine content of all Chinese tea
varieties. The aroma of this type of Chinese tea range from
medium to high, and the flavor is usually classified as light
to medium. Today, about 50 percent of China’s tea is green
tea.
White Tea
This variety of Chinese tea is often considered as a subclass
of green tea. It may be due to the fact that it is only
withered and then roasted. Much like green tea, white tea
evaded the fermentation process. Also, it is low in caffeine.
Oolong Tea
This variety of Chinese tea is halfway between green tea and
black tea in the sense that it is partially fermented. The
Chinese also call it “Qing Cha” and its typical leaves are
green in the middle with red on the edges as an effect of the
process to soften the tea leaves.
Oolong tea leaves are essentially withered and spread before
undergoing a brief fermentation process. Then, the leaves are
fried, rolled, and roasted.
Yellow Tea
As one may guess, yellow tea has yellow leaves and a yellow tea
color. According to some tea experts, this type of Chinese tea
is a rare class of Chinese tea. The flavor of yellow tea is
typically mild and refreshing.
Red Tea
Much like the name suggests, this type of Chinese tea has red
leaves and red tea color. This color is strongly activated
during the fermentation process. Red tea is classified as
having a low aroma and medium flavor and is now divided into
three subclasses: Small Species Red Tea, Ted Tea Bits, and Kung
Fu Red Tea.
Flower Tea
The flower tea is a unique type of Chinese tea. It divides into
flower tea and scented tea. The flower tea is based on a simple
concept that dried flowers are used, with little processing, to
make tea. The scented tea, in contrast, uses green tea and red
tea as a base and mixes with a scent of flowers. In general,
this category has light to medium flavor and medium to strong
aroma.
Compressed Tea
Compressed tea is the final type of Chinese tea. This class
uses black tea as its base. It is then steamed and compressed
into cakes, columns, bricks, and other various shapes.
Compressed tea has all the traits of black tea. It can be
stored for years or even decades.
About The Author: John Miller writes for several Internet
magazines, including http://cheap-product.com and
http://products-tips.com
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=114777
==================