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Tea has been utilized for sacrifices in West Zhou and used as a kind of vegetable in the spring and fall seasons even leveraged as medicine during the time of the “The Warren Empires”. Later, during the Han Dynasty tea evolved to be a major consumer good. During the 300 years between the period of the Three Empires and the Northern and Southern dynasties and also later when Buddhism gained popularity in China, Buddhists used tea to avoid falling asleep. Therefore more and more tea trees were planted in depressions around monasteries. Thus, common knowledge claims that Buddhism and tea culture developed together. By the time of the Tang Dynasty tea consumption was already very popular even with the common people. During the Ming Dynasty developed the tea trade and played a major economic and political role. The “Tea and Horse Administration” was especially founded to accommodate the logistical means for successful trades. In the 6th century introduced a monk tea to Japan and in the 16th century imported a Portuguese missionary tea to Europe. Tea maintains the status of an international beverage ever since. Nowadays the great family of teas in China constitutes not only traditional tea but varieties of tea drink flavours, tea as nutrition, tea medicine and other tea products. The following tea classification gives you an outline of all tea categories. Tea (culture) requires diverse artful items which can also be seen in exhibitions. The tea culture explains poise and customs of the Chinese people. Now, you’ll get some tips and suggestions how to identify excellent tea:
Even though there are hundreds of different Chinese teas, they can be rated in five categories: Green Tea, Black Tea, Brick Tea, Flavoursome/Scented Tea and Oolong Tea. With the natural scent is green tea, the oldest kind of tea, loved by almost everybody. It will be hot dried immediately after picking. Various sorts of teas are the result of different kinds of processing. As an example: Tea Longjing (dragon well) from the Westlake around Hangzhou, Tea Huangshan Maofeng from the Huangshan mountain, Tea Yinzhen (silver needle) from the Junshan mountain and Tea Yunwu (cloud and mist) from the Lushan mountain, just to name the most famous. Black Tea is rather preferred by foreigners. The distinct difference between Green Tea and Black Tea is the fermenting process of the Black Tea. After fermentation the colour changes from green to black. The most famous Black Teas in China are “Qi Hong (grown in Anhui)”, Dian Hong (from Yunnan) und Ying Hong (grown in Guangdong). Oolong Tea offers an excellent combination: The freshness of the Green Tea and the savour of the Black Tea gain more and more popularity. The tea is considered very healthy. The Chinese provinces Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan are main producing areas for this tea. Oolong Tea grows best on steep cliffs and requires strenuous labour to collect the leaves which makes the tea the most valuable. Scented Tea/Flavoured Tea, enjoys great popularity in northern China, it is indeed a mixture of green Tee and blossom leaves of roses, jasmine, orchids and plumes. Jasmine is the most prominent among them. The Brick Tea, normally pressed in the shape of a brick (hence the name), is predominantly produced in the provinces Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan and in the autonomous region Guangxi Zhuang. Brick Tea can be both, either green tea or black tea and is pressed in blocks. This kind of tea is very much liked by the ethnical groups in the border regions. The most famous tea of this kind is “the Pu`er Tea” from the province of Yunnan. There are still other kinds of tea. Among them is the very special White Tea, very little known to people. As the name indicates, this type of tea is white, rather silvery even. The production is mainly around the cities of Zhenhe and Fuding in the province of Fujian. The popularity of this tea is very strong in Southeast Asia. Famous labels are “Silver Needle” and “White Peony”. Tea Sets In China people believe that different teas prefer different tea cups. Green tea is fond of glass cups, scented tea needs porcelain cups, and Oolong Tea brews best in a purple tea can made of clay. In the long history of tea did the tea sets not only better the quality of the tea but promoted the emergence of a distinct tea art. Experienced artisans endow those sets with artistic beauty. Tea sets consist of tea can, gourd, tea bowl, containers. Tea has been consumed in China for a long time. The unglazed clay cups, which are used in the provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan for the brick tea today, are somewhat of a resemblance how the objects looked like, which were used in ancient China. Tea drinking gained rapid popularity in the Tang Dynasty. At that time the nobility used metallic objects, the common people used normally porcelain and clay made utensils. During the Song Dynasty acclimated a form of tea gourd which resembled a upturned bell. They were glazed in black, dark brown, grey, grey-white and white. Tea ware made of grey-white porcelain dominated in the Yuan Dynasty, and white glassy glistening tea wares were popular in the Ming Dynasty. Tea cans from porcelain and crimson coloured clay was very much en vogue in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. Gold plated, multi coloured porcelain was manufactured in Guangzhou, in the province of Guangdong and the varnished objects from the province Fujian appeared during the Qing Dynasty. Among all of the different kinds of tea wares, whether porcelain from Jingdezhen in the province of Jiangxi, or the purple coloured clay gourds from Yixing, tea ware from the province of Jiangsu was considered the best. Nowadays tea gourds are available in gold, silver, copper, crimson coloured clay, porcelain, glass, lacquer and different other materials imaginable.
What cafe is for the West is tea in the daily life in China. Just look at the many tea houses lining the streets like the cafés in the West. In the last years developed even a more deeply relationship of the Chinese people with their tea and with the steady growing consumption emerged a downright “tea culture”. This refers to everything what relates to tea: tea sets, poems, pictures with the topic of tea, tea production- and preparation, tea drinking and some customs associated with tea. In the Song Dynasty wrote Lu You, who was also known as the “tea sage”, the comprehensive tea script in which he meticulously describes how to plant, harvest, prearranges and prepares the tea. Also other famous poets like Li Bai, Du Fu and Bai Juyi wrote many poems about tea. The Chinese are very critical in all aspects of tea. They exercise high demands in reference to tea quality, water and tea ware. Normally the finest tea is grown in elevations between 910 m and up to 2.124 m. One uses frequently spring water, rain water or snow water to cook tea, thereof are spring water and rain water in the fall, considered the best, whereas rain water is especially popular during the rainy season. Normally, Chinese consider water quality and the taste of water very important. Fine water in this sense has to be pure, sweet, cool and clean. The Chinese prefer clay ware to anything else. The crimson coloured clay wares from Yixing in the province of Jiangsu and from Jingdezhen in the province of Jiangxi are the most popular. In China, the people are strict habits in reference to tea evident. A host, for instance, pours tea into the tea cups but fills only up to 7/10th of the volume, which indicates the meaning, that the remaining 3/10th are filled with friendship and affection. Moreover the tea cup should be emptied in three gulps. All that indicates, that tea plays an important role within the context of the Chinese emotional life. How to Select Excellent Tea Besides the available varieties is tea categorized in grades. Generally is this classification based upon five rules respectively criteria, Descriptions of tea leaves are called: i. e.: flat, needle-like, flower-like, etc. The final judgement corresponds naturally with the artful taste of the tea drinker. Smoothness and transparency of the leaf define the colour of the fluid. Excellent liquids should not contain any harsh, burned or red leaves and red stems. Aroma is the most important factor, if the quality of tea has to be judged. Put 3 grams of leaves in 100 ml freshly boiled water, eventually the quality of the tea can be assessed by the smell of the liquid. The judgement focuses upon the taste of the fluid and the overall appearance of the infused leaves. 10 Excellent Chinese Teas Longjing (dragon well): produced in the village Longjing, close to the Westlake, Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Biluochun: produced in the district Wu, Jiangsu Huangshanmaofeng: produced in Millitorr Huangshan in Anhui Silver Needle Junshan: produced on the island Qingluo at the Dongting lake Black Tea Qimen: produced in the district of Qimen in Anhui Liuan Guapian: produced in the district of Liuan in Henan Xinyang Maojian: produced near Xinyang, Henan Duyun Maojian: produced on the mountain Duyun, Guizhu Rock Tea Wuyi: produced on the mountain Wuyi, Fujian Tieguanyin: produced in the district Anxi, Fujian |
When reading the Tea master’s book, dated back to the Tang Dynasty, you will learn about the tea-classification and the facts of more than 4.000 years of Chinese Tea history and tea culture. 
Tea Classification 
Tea Culture 
such are: shape of the leaf, colour of the liquid, aroma, flavour and the complexion of the infused leaf.