CHINESE TEA

02

04

06

08

10

12

14

16

18

Contents

2737B.C.

3800000 meters

510

2,000,000,000

13Steps14

140/185 F。

30%

History of tea in China

Chinese Tea: 10 of the best

Tea Producting

Regions in China

Routes of the Ancient Tea

Green Tea Brewing Tips

How many people drink

tea as a daily habit?

Five Type of Tea

How To Properly Use a

Kongfu Ceremonial

How to Brew Kung Fu Tea

2737Tea became a popular drink in Buddhist monasteries after

the caffeine proved to keep the monks awake during long hours

of meditation. For this reason, many monasteries cultivated

vast tea fields. Lu Yu (Chinese: 陆羽), author of The Book of

Tea, was an orphan brought up and educated in a monastery.

It is likely that his experience growing up surrounded by tea

inspired his book written during the Tang Dynasty. In The Book

of Tea, Lu Yu recorded a detailed account of ways to cultivate

and prepare tea, tea drinking customs, the best water for tea

brewing and different classifications of tea.

Whipped powdered tea became fashionable during the Song

Dynasty (960–1279), but disappeared completely from Chinese

culture after the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368), when many other

aspects of Song culture were erased during foreign rule. Chinese

people later became accustomed to drinking steeped tea from

leaves after Yuan Dynasty and continue to drink it today.

Tea was first discovered by the legendary Chinese emperor

and herbalist, Shennong, in 2737 BCE. According to legend,

one fall afternoon, Shennong decided to take a rest under a

Camellia tree and boiled some water to drink. Dried leaves

from the tree above floated down into the pot of boiling water

and infused with the water, creating a pot of tea, marking the

first ever infusion of the tea leaf. Intrigued by the delightful

fragrance, Shennong took a sip and found it refreshing.

In the beginning, tea was used in ritual offerings. Then, tea

leaves were eaten as a vegetable, or used in medicine. Until the

Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago, tea was a new drink.

During the Sui Dynasty (581–618), tea was used for its medicinal

qualities. In the fourth and fifth centuries, rice, salt, spices,

ginger and orange peel, among other ingredients, were added

to tea. In the Tang Dynasty (618–907), tea drinking became an

art form and a drink enjoyed by all social classes.

History of Tea in China

B.C.

04

The lengths of these two routes, Yunnan-Tibet and Sichuan–Tibet, are 3,800 km and 3,100 km respectively within China. For most part of the routes, they crossed the plateaus of Sichuan Province, Yunnan Province and the Tibetan Autonomous Region where rivers crisscross the area. The plateaus here were cut by the Salween River, Lancang River, Jinsha River and Dadu River, forming numerous peaks and canyons. Statistics show that en route from Ya’an to Lhasa, travelers had to pass by 78 mountains standing over 3000 meters high and cross 51 rivers. There are 15 overhead cables that enable people, livestock and goods to glide overhead of rivers and 10 iron chain bridges. Some so called roads are no more than 0.66 meter wide, or even narrower. When there is loose debris and rocks, occasional mudslides and landslides will occur. It takes six to seven months on these roads and sometimes travelers will experi-ence weathers of all four seasons in a day, including the arctic coldness brought on by the snow-capped mountains, the scorching heat from the river valleys and the blaze of color that usually adorn spring.

3800000meters

Routes of the Ancient Tea Horse Road

06

Burang

Guan Zang route

China

07

Shangri-La

Lijiang

Menglian

Simao

Dry Season route

Meng La route

Jiangcheng

Kunming

Guan Zang route

Jiang Lai routeMengla`

5White tea undergoes the least processing of all teas. Traditionally cultivated in China,

white tea was picked only a few days out of the year, when a white down, known as

bai hao, appeared on the tender shoots. Because they are unoxidized, green teas keep

their vital color. The Chinese style of processing tends to bring out a mouthwatering

range of flavors from citrus-like to smoky with a lighter body. The color of the liquor

is usually not a true “green”, but a pale yellow or straw color. Oolong, also spelled Wu

Long, teas are semi-oxidized. The term in Chinese actually means “Black Dragon”.

Oolong teas have long been cultivated in both mainland China and Taiwan. Black tea

is the most well known variety of tea in the West. Known as “red tea” in China, black

tea leaves are fully oxidized. In the case of most black teas, younger leaves are picked

before being withered, rolled, fully oxidized, and fired. Despite the common misnomer,

there is a variety of tea that is actually fermented. Named for a town in China’s Yunnan

province, Pu’er teas consist of larger leaves that can be aged for several years. Often,

the most highly prized Pu’er teas will actually have a light dusting of mold. Pu’Er leaves

are usually compressed into various shapes before being aged.

Types of Tea

08

09

White Tea Green Tea Black Tea Oolong Tea Pu erh Tea

10

West Lake Dragon WellGreen tea 西湖龙井 Hangzhou, Zhejiang

Yellow Mountain Fur Peak Green tea 黄山毛峰 Huang Shan, Anhui

Dongting Green Snail SpringGreen tea 碧螺春 Suzhou, Jiangsu

Qimen Red Black tea 祁门红茶 Qimen, Anhui

Liuan Melon Seed Green tea 六安瓜片 Lu’an, Anhui

Wuyi Big Red Robe Oolong tea 武夷大紅袍 Wuyi Mountains, Fujian

Anxi Iron Goddess Oolong tea 安溪铁观音 Anxi, Fujian

Tea, that most elegant of restoratives. Forget coffee

and its all caffeinated edginess; it is he who drinks

tea that will truly find greatness. As the masterful

Chinese writer, Lin Yutang said, “There is something in the

nature of tea that leads us into a world of quiet contem-

plation of life.” And with that in mind, we here at the The

World of Chinese bring you 10 of the best, classic teas:

Dragon Well Tea. This is the most desirable of green teas

and belongs to the roasted green tea group. Dongting

Biluochun is a famous green tea originally grown in the

Dongting Mountains of Jiangsu Province. Huangshan

Maofeng is a green tea grown near the famous Mount

Huang, Anhui Province, which is home to many famous

varieties of green tea. Gentleman Mountain Silver

Needles. The tea originates from Hunan province and is

considered the most famous yellow tea or the King of

Yellow teas. Great Gate Red Tea comes from Anhui pro-

vince. It is a relatively young tea less than 200 years.

The Big Red Robe. This is another famous oolong tea from

North Fujian. Lu’an Guapian or Lu’an Melon Seed Tea is

a green tea from Lu’an, Anhui Province. It is named for its

tightly rolled seed like processed leaves which are flat and

resemble a melon seed. Iron Goddess. It is perhaps the

most famous of oolong teas. XinYang Maojian is a green

tea produced in Xinyang City, Henan Province. It has a deep

dark green color and straight thin leaves.

Best Chinese Tea

1011

Mount Jun Silver Needle Yellow tea 君山银针 Yueyang, Hunan

Taiping Houkui Green tea 太平猴魁 Huang Shan, Anhui

Xinyang Fur Tip Green tea 信阳毛尖 Xinyang, Henan

Green Tea Brewing Tips

A cup of Green tea enchances health. Many customers have asked us about the best way to brew green tea. Whether you are a newcomer to green tea or a long-time green tea enthusiast, we hope our Q&A on time and temperature will provide helpful guidelines to prepare a great tasting cup.

Why is water temperature important?Water temperature is a critical factor in bringing out the best qualities of green tea. If the water temperature is too hot, the tea will be too bitter and much of its delicate aroma will be lost; if the water temperature is too cool, the full flavor contained in the leaves will not be extracted.

Why are green teas better at lower temperature?A number of substances in the leaf contribute to the flavor and aroma of green tea. The overall flavor and sweetness of green tea is determined by a variety of amino acids and natural sugars. Bitterness and astringency are contributed by polyphenols (“tannins”). Amino acids dissolve at 140°F (60 °C) while tannins dissolve at 176°F (80°C). Therefore, brewing green tea at lower temperatures will ensure that its sweet and complex flavors will not be overpowered by the bitter-tasting flavors.

What is the right temperature for green teas?As a general guideline, green teas taste best when brewed at temperatures between 140°F–185°F. The grade of the tea and the time of its harvest will also influence the appro-priate steeping temperature. Green teas picked earlier in the spring will benefit from lower temperature brewing due to their overall higher levels of amino acids.

Here’s an example of how one might adjust the tempera-ture for brewing Japanese green teas. Gyokuro, one of the highest grades, is best brewed at 122°F–140°F (50°C –60°C). Spring-picked Sencha tastes best at 160°F–170°F (70°C–80°C). Summer-harvested Bancha and Genmaicha will exhibit their best flavor with a short infusion at higher temperatures of 170°F–185°F (80°C–90°C).

140 F。

185 F。

13

拾肆

Steps14

Appreciate the tradition. In the Chinese traditional tea culture, Kung Fu tea has a certain etiquette that goes along with it, a procedure that drinkers follow.

Put together a suitable tea set.

Prepare the tea leaves in advance, so that they are ready to be placed in the pot as soon as it has been warmed cover.

1.

a

2.

3.

Rinse all vessels with hot water. This signifies that the ritual of tea making has begun by purifying the pot, cleaning it of dust and residue and making it ready to receive the tea.

Before infusion, pour hot water over the leaves and then quickly pour it off.

4.

5.

How to Brew Kung Fu Tea

14

When the leaves have infused their essence, pour the tea out into the pitcher (fair cup).

From the fair cup, distribute the tea in the aroma cups, keeping the pitcher close to the cups and pouring slowly.

After the aroma cups are filled, position one tasting cup, upside down, over each aroma cup.

At this point, the aroma cup can be brought near the nose to receive the fragrance of the tea by inhaling the steam air.

After smelling, drink the tea from the tasting cups.

13.

14.

Use pure or mineral water to brew the tea. Tap water should be avoided, since its chemical treatment imparts undesir-able flavors and odors which interfere with the delicate aromatics of tea.

Fill the teapot to the top with hot water and cover.

Pour the water into the fair cup to heat it.

Add tea leaves and let steep.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

15

13How To ProperlyUse a Kongfu

Ceremonial Tea Set

16

The Tea Tray: Tea trays are usually very beautiful,

showing off the beauty of the tea set and displaying all

of your tools in a pleasing manner.

The Tea Pot : Tea pots are used to brew and pour tea,

and you may use a tea pot to brew your tea, or a more

traditional gaiwan.

The Gaiwan: The Gaiwan is used traditionally to actu-

ally brew your tealeaves in, and pour the brewed tea

from when brewing tea Gongfu style.

The Tea Holder: The tea holder is known also as the

“enjoy tea holder.” The purpose of your tea holder is to

hold the dried tealeaves, which will be brewed, after

removing them from the canister they have been

stored in.

The Tea Pitcher: The tea pitcher, which is also named

fair cup and cha hai, is used to hold the brewed liquor

of the tea leaves which you actually brew in your gaiwan.

The Pinming Cup: Pinming cups are what you pour

the brewed tea into from your fair cup to actually

drink the brewed tea from, the western equivalent

would be the teacup, although Pinming cups are much

smaller, shallow and thin.

The Fragrance Smelling Cup: The fragrance smelling

cup is used for the purpose of smelling the aroma that

remains at the bottom of the used brewed tea.

The Filter and Filter shelf : The tea filter is used to

filter tea leaves after brewing so that you may pour the

tea into the fair cup and Pinming cups without having tea

leaves in them.

The Tea Scoop: Your tea scoop is a scoop used to scoop

out dry tea from your tea canister to place into your

tea holder.

The Tea Pin: Tea pins are small utensils which look like

a needle and are used to clear any blocked tea from the

spout of the tea pot if needed.

Tea Tongs: Tea tongs are beautiful utensils used in

the Gongfu tea ceremony to carry cups while warming

them or bringing them to others.

The Tea Container: The tea container is matched to tea

set and is made to hold your utensils such as your

tea tongs, tea pin, tea funnel, tea spoon and tea scoop.

The Tea Towel: The tea towel is a small but very nec–

essary part of the tea ceremony as it is used to clean up

any spills, and water or tea stains, and is usually made

from either cotton or linen cloth.

17

Tea can not be fully enjoyed without a nice tea set to serve it with, and this is especially important when drinking tea Kongfu style, or as part of a Chinese Kongfu Tea Ceremony.

30%18

China, known in China as Zhōngguó (中国), is one of the most

important tea-producing countries. The written history of tea

consumption in China goes back longer than in any other

country, thousands of years. In ancient China, tea was orignally

used as a medicine; over hundreds of years it slowly shifted

towards being viewed first as a tonic, and then as a beverage

as it is today.

China, together with India, is one of the two largest producers

and consumers of tea. In 2007, China produced over 30% of

the world’s production of tea, almost 1.2 million tons of tea

out of the world’s almost 3.9 million tons. Most of the tea pro-

duced in China is consumed in China, although tea is also

an important export good for China.

A myriad of styles of tea originated in China, which produces

and consumes black, green, white, oolong, and pu-erh teas,

as well as the less well–known yellow teas. Chinese teas are

astoundingly diverse, as within each of these broad types of

tea, there are countless different styles, both ancient and

modern. China has come to produce styles of tea that origi-

nated elsewhere, such as sencha, which originated in Japan.

Tea tends to be produced mostly in the provinces towards the

south and east of China, where the climate is ranges and humid

ranges from tropical to subtropical, although teas are grown

commercially as far west as Sichuan and Yunnan provinces,

and as far north as Shandong province.

Tea Producing Regionsin China

According to a report released by the China Social Science Academy Press, China is the world’s largest tea producer. It produced 1.3 million tonnes in 2009, accounting for 30 percent of the world total.

19

Tea is one of the three a popular drinks in the world-together with

beer and coffee. Around 2 billion people drink tea as a habit every

day, and over 160 countries have tea trading in their own country.

China was the only country which exported tea worldwide from

the beginning. But as tea plantation gradually emerged in other coun-

tries, tea trades became much easier and widespread. Together with

soaring demand, different kinds of tea plants were being explored

and appeared in the markets.

In 2015, Americans consumed well over 80 billion servings of tea,

or more than 3.6 billion gallons. About 85% of all tea consumed was

Black Tea, 14% was Green Tea, and the small remaining amount

was Oolong, White and Dark Tea. The U.S. is the third largest importer

of tea in the world, after Russia and Pakistan, and the only western

country to grow in tea imports and consumption.

How many people drink tea as a daily habit?

20

2000,000,000

21

Index

Black Dragon, 08

Bancha, 13

Brewing Tips, 14

Anxi Iron Goddess, 11

Anhui, 11

Amino, 13

B

A

Green Tea Temprature, 13

Gyokuro, 13

Gai Wan, 17

Kun Min, 04

Kung Fu Tea, 17

Dongting Green Snail Spring, 11

Dong Ting, 11

Lu Yu

Lhasa

Liuan Melon Seed

Lin Yutang

G

K

D

L

S

W

Y

T

Song Dynasty

Sichun Province

Shennong

White Tea, 05

West Lake Dragon Well, 11

Wuyi Big Red Robe, 11

Yuan Dynasty, 01

Ya An, 06

Yun Nan, 08

Yellow Mountain Fur Peak, 11

Yellow Tea, 11

Taiping Houkui, 11

Tea Set, 17

Tea Producting Regions, 19

Tea Horse Road, 06

M

O

P

Q

Mount Jun Silver Needle, 11

Maojian, 11

Pu erh Tea, 09

Pitcher, 17

Pinming Cup, 17

Qimen, 11

Qimen Red, 11

Oxidized, 08

Oolong Tea, 09