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YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT
The Categories of Tea
By Richard Hackworth
Chinese tea may be classified into five categories according to the different methods by which it is processed.
Green Tea: Green tea is the variety which keeps the original color of the tea leaves without fermentating during processing. This category consists mainly of Longjing tea of Zhejiang Province, and Maofeng of Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province.
Black Tea: Black tea, known as “red tea” in China, is the category which is fermented before baking; it is a later variety developed on the basis of the green tea.
Wulong Tea: This represents a variety half way between the green and the black teas, being made after partial fermentation. It is a specialty from the provinces on China’s southeastern coast.
Compressed Tea: This is the kind of tea which is compressed and hardened into a certain shape. It is good for transport and storage and is mainly supplied to the ethnic minorities living in the border areas of the country. Compressed tea is black in color in its commercial form, so it is also known in China as “black tea” Most of the compressed tea is in the form of bricks. It is, therefore, generally called “brick tea”, though it is sometimes also in the form of cakes and bowls.
Scented Tea: This kind of tea is made by mixing fragrant flowers in the tea leaves in the course of processing. The flowers commonly used for this purpose are jasmine and magnolia among others. Jasmine tea is a well-known favorite with the northerners of China and a growing number of foreigners.
About the author: Multi-arts Grand Master Richard Hackworth is the Editor of “World Martial Arts Magazine” at www.worldmartialartsmagazine.com and Co-host of the "World Martial Arts Radio Show” at www.ActionRadio.net . You can subscribe to his free e-newsletter at www.americandragononline.com .
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