Chinese Tea

Chinese tea play an important role in traditional Chinese life.It's already became a kind of culture. Like sushi belongs to Japan, kimchi is an endorsement of Korean dish. When people talk about Chinese tea, they couldn't help to think of China.
I am a big fan of Chinese tea, but I am not addicted to it, since it has the same effect with coffee. You can drink some tea at night while you have a lot of work to do,that'll help to sober you up.
There are many kinds of Chinese tea, such as Green Tea, Black Tea, Oolong Tea, White Tea, Yellow Tea, Dark Tea, Re-manufactured tea.
Green Tea
Main process of manufacture: plucking, withering, twisting, fixation (inactivation), backing
Main characters: Green leaf and light soap, the key point is fresh, non-fermented tea
Divided to four kinds by different ways of fixation (inactivation):
1) Roasted ----- Representative Tea: Long jing, Bi luo chun, Jin mei.
2) Backed ----- Representative Tea: Huangshan maofong
3) Sun withering: ----- Mainly in Yunnang, Shichuan, Shangxi provinces
4) Steamed: ----- Mainly in Japan, representative Tea: YuLu
Black Tea
Main process of manufacture: plucking, withering, twisting, fermentation, backing
Main characters: Red leaf and red soap, deep flavor, fully fermented.
Different kinds:
1) Congou ----- Representative Tea: Yunnan red tea, Keemum tea (Qihong), Minghong
2) Souchong ----- Representative Tea: Lapsang (拉普山), Smoked Lapsang
3) Broken Black
Oolong Tea
Main process of manufacture: plucking, rolling, fixation, twisting, backing
Main characters: Golden soap, Green leaf with red sides, half fermented
Different kinds:
1) Southern Fujian oolong ----- Representative Tea: Tikuanyin, Shezhong
2) Northern Fujian oolong ----- Representative Tea: Wuyi Rock-essence Tea (Including ShuiXin, RouGui, DaHongPao), Jinou Shui Xin
3) Gangdong oolong ----- Representative Tea: Phoenix ShuiXin, DangChong
4) Taiwan oolong ----- Representative Tea:Dongding tea
White Tea
Main Process of manufacture: plucking, withering, backing
Main Characters: Yellow soap, half fermented
Different kinds:
1) White buds tea ----- Representative Tea:silver needle
2) White leaf tea ----- Representative Tea: white peony
Yellow Tea
Main Process of manufacture: plucking, fixation, over brewing, fixation, backing
1) Mengding yellow buds, JunShan silver needle
2) Small yellow tea ----- Representative Tea: Beigang silver needle, WeiShan silver needle
3) Large yellow tea ----- Representative Tea: HuoShan large yellow tea, Guandong large leaf tea
Dark Tea
Main process of manufacture: plucking, fixation, twisting, pile-fermentation, backing
Main Characters: Dry tea is very dark, yellow soap, afterwards fermented
1) Hunang dark tea ----- Representative Tea: Anshi
2) Hunang dark tea ----- Representative Tea: Dark green tea
3) Sichuan brick tea
4) Yuannang&GuanXi dark tea ----- Representative Tea: Puer
Re-manufactured tea:
1) Flower tea: Jasmine Tea, Osmanthus scented tea
2) Pressed tea: Caky Tea, Brick Tea
3) Extracted tea: Easy dissolve tea, concentrated tea
4) Fruit flavor tea: Milk tea
5) Medical Tea
6) Tea Beverage
I like to drink Jasmine Tea.It’s one of the most delicious varieties of flavored tea around, regardless of the type of tea used. Whether you choose black, white, oolong or green Jasmine tea, you’re sure to be delighted by its fragrant bouquet and its sweet taste. It complements every flavor of tea and creates a soothing and delicious beverage whether hot or cold. And jasmine tea is a healthy beverage, too.
We Chinese believe that Jasmine tea can keep us slim and healthy. Some people even said that always drink Jasmine Tea will keep the cancer away. But there is no scientific evidence for that.
In my point of view, Chinese tea is not only a beverage, whatever you think Chinese tea is, Chinese tea is a life time of enjoyment.
By Shell, Wu