Famous Tea in China

China is the birthplace of tea and the Chinese Tea ceremony boasts a sophisticated history. According to Statista.com, in 2022 nearly 6.9 billion kilograms of tea were consumed in the World, and one-third was made in China, making China the world’s largest production of tea.

The main varieties of Chinese tea include Green Tea, Black Tea, Oolong Tea, Scented Tea, White Tea, Yellow Tea, and Dark Tea. Many brands of Chinese Tea enjoy a high reputation not only in China but also in the world. The following are brief introduction to six kinds of famous tea in China that are especially popular, however, before that, we want to introduce to you a brief of Chinese tea history and origins.

History of Chinese Tea

It is known that Chinese tea dates back more than 4,000 years, which makes it one of the oldest traditions in the World.

Origins and Legends

The discovery of tea is attributed to the legendary Emperor Shennong in 2737 BCE. He is said to have found that when certain leaves fell into boiling water, a refreshing and mildly stimulating drink resulted. This drink was tea.

Spread Across China

During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), tea became a popular beverage among the nobility and the Buddhist monks. It was around this time that Lu Yu wrote "The Classic of Tea" (茶经), the first definitive book on cultivating, making, and drinking tea. Tea culture flourished during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), with the introduction of tea ceremonies and the innovation of powdered tea, which was later popularized as matcha in Japan.

Chinese Tea and the Silk Road

Tea played a crucial role in the Silk Road trade, reaching Central Asia, the Arab world, and eventually Europe by the 16th century. This expansion was marked by the development of the "Tea Horse Road" where tea was traded for horses with Tibetan traders.

Varieties and Production: China is known for its vast array of tea types, including green, black, white, oolong, and pu'erh teas. Each type has its own processing methods and regional variations. For instance, the mist-covered mountains of Fujian produce the aromatic Tieguanyin oolong, while the humid hills of Yunnan give rise to earthy pu'erh.

1. Green Tea -- West Lake Dragon Well Tea

It ranks the highest amongst all Chinese Tea, "Dragon Well" - "Longjing" in Chinese is the name of a small village in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, also a name of well and it is especially known by people around the world as a famous tea in China. Longjing Tea is well known for its green color, heavy fragrance, sweet flavor, and beautiful shape. Here in the West Lake District, tea ceremonies and seminars are usually organized. When people come to China's Hangzhou province, going on a tour of West lake and having a nice taste of Longjing tea are the most enjoyable things to do in this place.

2. Green Tea -- Dongting Biluochun Tea

Dongting Biluochun Tea is produced in Dongting Lake in Jiangsu province, it is one of the top 10 Chinese tea and belongs to Green Tea class. It is made of fried tender green buds picked from the tea bushes in spring, 500g senior Biluochun Tea is made of as many as 60,000-70,000 tea buds, you can see how tender the tea buds are. The fried tender buds are attractively verdurous and curled into a screw, so it's called "Biluochun " Tea - which means verdurous screw in Chinese. The brewing Biluochun Tea in the cup likes the white clouds rolling, the refreshing fragrance is incoming which makes people exhilarating, it is often used as a senior gift in Chinese people and also popular in various tea ceremonies.

3. Dark Tea -- Yunnan Pu’er Tea

Pu'er Tea is a kind of famous tea in China, produced in the cradle of world tea - Pu'er city, Yunnan province, Pu'er tea boasts a long history of over 3,000 years, so when you take a wonderful tour to Yunnan, don't miss the chance to taste this local famous tea in China and feel the culture of Chinese Tea. The Pu'er tea leaves are in a reddish-brown color, the tea water is clear with red color, unique aroma, and sweet flavor. Also, Yunnan is always hosting tea ceremonies and exchange meetings.

4. Green Tea -- Huangshan Maofeng Tea

Huangshan Maofeng also belongs to the Green Tea class, the tea is collected from Huangshan Mountain, Anhui province and the bud tips are like the peaks, so it is called Huangshan Maofeng Tea. The environment around Huangshan mountain is excellent for the growth of tea, high mountain, lush trees, short sunlight time, and more clouds and mist, in this moisture of the clouds and mists, the tea leaves are of high quality. The refined Maofeng tea leaves are flat and slightly bent, smell like gardenia, and taste mellow and sweet. Don't forget to taste the famous tea in China when visiting Huangshan Mountain.

5. Black Tea -- Keemun Black Tea

Keemun Blake Tea is one of the three heavy-fragrance tea in the world. For many years, it has been China's ceremony tea with national affairs and it is especially favored by the Queen of England and her royal family, so it has a reputation as the "queen of the Black Tea". Keemun Tea is produced in Qimen County, Anhui province, planted in rich red and yellow soil, the climate is mild and has enough rain for the growth of tea trees. It is a fermented Chinese tea and was originated from the year 1875. The tea water is brightly red with a pleasant flavor and lasting fragrance, you can add milk to the tea water, still tastes mellow. It is very appropriate and also a kind of pleasant enjoyment to have a Keemun black tea in the spring or in the afternoon or before sleeping.

6. Oolong Tea -- Anxi Tieguanyin

Oolong Tea is the representation of Oolong tea of the famous tea in China, produced in Anxi, Fujian Province. Anxi - Tieguanyin originated from the Qing Dynasty, it's not only a special Chinese tea with good flavor and taste, the health care benefits of Tieguanyin are also outstanding. Modern medical shows that Tieguanyin has the effect of anti-aging, anti-cancer, losing weight for beauty, etc. For this, Anxi-Tieguanyin is especially popular in the world. The production process of Tieguanyin is very complicated and has a natural orchid fragrance, tasting pure and mellow, and is especially favored in different kinds of tea ceremonies.

Did you know?

The most luxurious tea in the World is Da-Hong Pao, it is worth $1.2 Million Per Kilogram. Why is so expensive? 

The high cost of Da-Hong Pao tea comes from a few key factors: it's rare, takes a lot of work to produce, holds cultural importance, and has a unique taste. These aspects highlight just how valuable Da-Hong Pao tea is, making it a luxury item for those who can afford it.

Da-Hong Pao tea is produced in the Wuyi Mountains located in Fujian province, China. This area is famous for its perfect growing conditions, thanks to its rich soil and good weather, which help produce top-quality oolong teas like Da-Hong Pao. The Wuyi Mountains are also recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of their beautiful scenery and important role in tea history in China. Da-Hong Pao, meaning "Big Red Robe" in Chinese, is one of the most celebrated oolong teas from this region.