A Short Introduction to Chinese Tea

The tea species Camellia sinensis produces all the varieties of tea, except herbal teas: mainly green, black, oolong, pu-erh and white. The growing season, geographic region and processing of the leaves create the many varieties and contribute to each tea’s uniqueness. The special care given during processing brings out the natural subtleties of flavor and creates a visual aesthetic that is unique to each tea. This is part of the mystique of tea. No two teas are exactly alike. Each growing season creates a unique leaf and taste. (from http://www.generationtea.com/learn.htm)

Chinese tea is healthy in a lot of ways. It is supposed to lower blood pressure, protect the heart, help prevent obesity, prevent tooth decay and increases immunity, etc. The Chinese have been drinking tea for a host of health reasons as well as for enjoyment for thousands of years.

“Research has found scientific evidence that Chinese tea can actually help to prevent cancer. It’s more than just empty talk now. Chinese tea is more than just something to drink. It has in fact become a way of life for many.” (read more at http://chineseteas101.com/allabout.htm)
Below is information I hope will help the beginner in Chinese tea preparation. Keep in mind the cups and teapots are generally smaller than what you may be used to.

This is a yixing teapot:

Brewing tea in yixing teapot: www.jcm.co.uk for brewing oolong, pu-erh, and black tea.

A Gaiwan is like a small tea pot in that it is for brewing tea. It is suitable for green, white, oolong, black, pu-erh.
Brewing tea in a gai wan: www.jcm.co.uk

All kinds of brewing instructions: http://chineseteas101.com/brewingmethod.htm

white teas: store.teance.com/white-teas.html
More about health benefits: www.generationtea.com/health.htm

High Mountain Green	Immortal Peach Hand Tied Jasmine Green	Pu-erh Tea
Monkey Picked Ti Kuan Yin	Jasmine Silver Needle White Tea	Jasmine Pearl Green Tea

Where a blog becomes the most useful is with the combined knowledge of other bloggers and readers. I would like this blog to be very informative, so if you know of other great sites about Chinese tea basics, please leave comments!

100 little cups of tea

Coffee drinkers often stick with coffee long after they wish to “get off coffee.” But they think that tea ist just the watery semi-flavored stuff you get in bags at the grocery store or neighborhood cafe. I used to be one of those coffee drinkers.

One Christmas I came home for the holidays and my father had a new obsession: Chinese tea. It took me a while to wrap my head around this totally different way of drinking tea - a thousands of years old tradition. But soon, despite the particular temperatures, cups and brewing vessels, I was hooked, and now drink only the occasional espresso out of desire, but not need. The aspects of the practice of drinking this tea which at first I found strange and a little cumbersome became a treasured ritual.

Well, if you are lucky enough to in the San Francisco Bay Area, there is a place you can go to get the hang of Chinese Tea. Just around the corner from the Pete’s Coffee on 4th Street in Berkeley nestled among the bright shops, is a haven of Chinese tea: Teance. Here you can sample their daily choice, or buy a sampling of all kinds of Oolong, green tea, pu-erh tea, white tea. The staff is knowledgeable and communicative. The owner Winnie is a wealth of information about Chinese tea and also Taiwanese tea. (for more info see www.teance.com)
If you delight in subtlety try her oolongs, greens and whites. If you prefer thick earthy flavors try the pu-erh. Remember that the more aged the pu-erh, the less the caffeine, the more earthy.

The quality of Winni’s stock of teas is quite high. None of that cheap stuff! But there are affordable solutions to be found there as well, if you are on a budget.

I never did give up coffee, I found Chinese tea.

Chinese tea: it isn’t what you get at Starbucks

How to prepare your tea properly (note: these notes are for loose tea, not teabags)

The amount of tea used depends on your brewing vessel.
for small vessels, 1 to 1.5 tbsp.
for medium tea pots:
green and twisted oolong, 2tbsp, the rest 3 tbsp.

green tea - 175 degrees - steep for 1 minute
white tea - 185 degrees - steep for 1 minute
oolong tea - 195 degrees - steep for 2 to 3 minutes
black tea - 205 degrees - steep for 1 minute
pu-erh tea - 205 degrees - steep for 3 to 4 minutes

Why not to pour boiling water over all your tea like they do at every tea shop and cafe to which you have probably ever been?
If the temperature is too hot, it will actually burn the tea leaves, causing an off or bitter flavor. Have you ever had some green tea that was too bitter? This is probably why. The other cause of bitterness can be cooling. If it cools too much and has a bitter taste, you can just add some more hot water.

How to gage temperature without a thermometer: boil in a pan or vessel that allows you to see the water.

175 degrees - very small bubbles appear on the water’s edge, wisps of steam appear
185 degrees - small bubbles begin to form, steam is more visible
195 degrees - medium bubbles begin to rise, water becomes gently agitated
205 degrees - near boil

quickly rinse the tea with the correct temperature water before the initial infusion. This step ensures a more even brew and also pre-warms the brewing vessel.

Tea may be re-steeped multiple times. The number of possible re-infusions depends on the type of tea and the amount of tea used.
Lack of color or flavor indicates the tea is finished.

My favorite source for good Chinese tea: Silk Road Teas
http://www.silkroadteas.com/