All About Chinese Tea

By Author: Jamie Hanson
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In Chinese literature you can easily find references about tea that date back to some 5000 years but its use as a beverage is still not clear. Perhaps in line with the ancient folklore in 2737 BC the discovery of a brew occurred. It all happened by chance when a camellia blossom was dropped into a cup of boiled drinking water which was belonged to Emperor Shen Nung. In accordance with some scholars its resource was found in an traditional Chinese dictionary named Erh Ya which dates back to 350 BC.

The value of tea in the ancient time was originally based upon its medicinal qualities. Because the ancient time it has been recognized that tea help in digestion and for this cause most Chinese people have a cup of tea soon after meals. The concept of drinking tea during those times was to alleviate the nicotine content for the smokers. It was 8th century after the tea drinking evolved into an art form. This in fact led to the book of Lu Yu "The Classic Art of Tea".

The first Buddhist and highly renowned poet used to be quite specific about the suitable method of brewing, steeping as well as the way of serving. ...
... Initially it was prepared with a porcelain container with slow moving stream water.The only perfect environment for experiencing the finished product i.e. tea was purely a pavilion principally the one next to a water lily pond. This delicacy was enjoyed in the circle of acceptable women. Some of his very sensible tips on tea manufacturing are still in put into practice.

Popularity of tea spread all over China especially in the following centuries when the Yu's work was published. For that reason tea drinking became the heated topic for poems and books. Tea was also bestowed upon grateful recipients as gifts by Emperors. And, then tea houses started to appear in region. The Chinese tea is different from the Japanese tea who celebrate it as a ceremony but for the Chinese it is a healthy drink.

It is quite surprising to know that all categories of tea really come from one base i.e. Camilla Sinensis bush. There are four basic categories of tea but there are hundreds of types of Chinese tea. White tea is thought to be the balanced one it is created from the immature tea leaves. The Chinese pick and pluck these leaves when they are in the budding stage and not when they are totally bloomed. The shade of green tea leaves is maintained as it is not fermented during processing. Dragon Well tea, is the most expensive and the most popular green tea.. It is cultivated in the hillsides of Hanghou. The black tea which is also known as red tea is made from fermented leaves and it accounts for its dark colors leaves.

The well known types of black tea include Bo lei, which is actually a Cantonese tea. This tea is mi der is frequently taken by older people. Then there are oolong tea which are usually partially fermented and makes for a black-green tea. The Oolong tea also known as Soi sin have a bitter taste and is generally grown in Fukien. The 'scented tea' is the fourth variety which is generated by combining different flowers and petals or oolong tea. Among these the white tea and the jasmine tea are quite popular. These days, most of us don't have a pavilion or a lily pond close to our backyard but still we can get pleasure from this ancient beverage. All you need is little practice to brew a perfect cup of tea.

Looking for Chinese tea? Check out Chinese tea store.