Tea culture in China

The six categories

Chinese tea is classified by oxidation level: - **Green tea (绿茶)** — unoxidised. Light, vegetal. Major styles: Longjing (Hangzhou), Biluochun (Suzhou), Maofeng (Anhui). - **White tea (白茶)** — minimally processed. Light, sweet. Fujian's Bai Hao Yin Zhen. - **Yellow tea (黄茶)** — light oxidation. Rare; Junshan Yinzhen. - **Oolong (青茶)** — partial oxidation, 10–80%. Wuyi rock teas (Da Hong Pao), Tieguanyin (Anxi), Phoenix Dancong (Guangdong). - **Black tea (红茶)** — fully oxidised. Lapsang Souchong, Keemun, Yunnan Dianhong. - **Dark tea (黑茶)** — post-fermented, sometimes aged. Pu'er from Yunnan is the famous example.

Major tea regions

• Fujian — oolongs (Wuyi rock teas, Tieguanyin) and white tea.
• Yunnan — pu'er, with hundred-year-old tea trees.
• Hangzhou (Zhejiang) — Longjing green.
• Suzhou (Jiangsu) — Biluochun green.
• Anhui — Maofeng (Mt Huangshan) and Keemun black.
• Guangdong — Phoenix Dancong oolongs.

Tea house etiquette

• Most cities have classical tea houses (in Chengdu, the People's Park teahouse is institutional).
• Order by tea name. Single tea typically ¥30–¥80; a full kung fu service ¥100–¥300.
• The first brewing is a 'rinse' — discarded.
• Subsequent brewings are short (10–30 seconds initially, lengthening as the leaves spend).
• Tap two fingers on the table when someone pours your cup — a Cantonese gesture of thanks.
• Hold the cup with both hands when receiving and sipping.

Buying tea

• Tea villages around Hangzhou, Yunnan, Wuyi, Anxi sell direct.
• Loose-leaf weighed in a shop is the classic purchase.
• Pu'er is sold pressed in cakes or bricks.
• Beware tourist-area tea shops — quality is mixed and prices steep.

At home

A cheap gaiwan (covered cup) and good loose-leaf is everything you need. Heat the water to the right temperature (75–85°C for green and white, 95–100°C for oolong, black, pu'er).