Chinese Culture: What's Hot Now: What Is Chinese Tea?

Chinese Culture: What's Hot Now These articles that had the largest increase in popularity over the last week // via fulltextrssfeed.com

What Is Chinese Tea? Oct 11th 2011, 10:05 For thousands of years, the Chinese have been teetotalers. Since the Chinese invented tea, its popularity as a beverage has spread. Chinese tea is now drunk in over 100 countries worldwide. Discover how tea was invented, explore different types of Chinese tea, and explore Chinese tea culture. Who Invented Tea? Lauren Mack / About.com Tea is one of many Chinese inventions. The tea plant (Camellia sinensis) comes from Yunnan and its inventor was Shennong (神農), a Chinese ruler who lived 5,000 years ago and is considered to be China’s father of agriculture. According to legend, Shennong sampled various herbs to test if they were helpful or harmful to humans. One day, he ate poisonous herbs and collapsed under a Chinese tea tree. He was revived after water droplets from the tree trickled down to his mouth. His near-death experience led to tea’s use for medicinal purposes. Today Chinese tea is used as a tonic, but it is also drunk in special ceremonies like Chinese weddings, and as a ubiquitous, refreshing drink at Chinese tea houses, cafes, and homes. Who Is the Most Famous Chinese Tea Master? The most famous Chinese tea master is Lu Yu (陆羽), who wrote Tea Classic (茶经, chájÄ«ng), a book about tea leaves which includes how to grow, prepare, and drink tea. Today, small figurines of Lu Yu (733â€"804) can be found at Chinese teahouses around the world. The statutes pay homage to the tea expert, and it is also believed that the statues can help revive poor business. When business is poor, proprietors pour boiling water into a hole on the top of the figurine’s head to improve business. What Is Chinese Tea Culture? Lauren Mack / About.com Tea was used as a ritual offering during the Western Zhou period. Chinese tea culture (茶文化, chá wénhuà) and drinking tea for pleasure began in Han Dynasty. A formal tea ceremony, gōngfÅ« chá (工夫茶, ‘making tea with effort’) is a popular way to brew oolong tea in China and Taiwan. Learn how to conduct a gōngfÅ« chá ceremony at home. Today, Chinese tea comes in many varieties, from simple black and green teas to fruit juice infused concoctions and bubble tea. What Is the Difference between Black, Green, White, Herbal and Infused Teas? While all tea comes from the same plant, figuring out the differences between each type can be overwhelming to the uninitiated. Black Tea Lauren Mack / About.com Black tea (紅茶, hóngchá, ‘red tea’) is derived from fermented leaves and is a red or brown color. The leaves are oxidized before the leaves are cooked and dried. The most famous black tea is qímén chá (祁門茶), a medium-body rich amber tea cut into strips from Anhui. Qímén tea is versatile but pairs well with spicy foods. Green Tea Lauren Mack / About.com Green tea (绿茶, lÇœchá) is derived from unfermented leaves and is a jade green color. Green tea is grown in Zhejiang province and the leaves are pan-fried, steamed or oven-fired after leaves are picked to retain the non-oxidized tea’s green color. The most popular Chinese green teas are lóngjǐng chá (龍井茶, 'dragon well'), a tea grown in the hills west of Hangzhou that has been drunk since the eighth century with a leafy aroma and nutty taste and bìluóchÅ«n (碧螺春, 'green snail spring'), a fruity tea rolled into a tight spiral that resembles a snail with a floral aroma. Oolong Tea Lauren Mack / About.com Oolong tea (烏龍茶, wÅ«lóngchá) is derived from semi-fermented leaves and varieties of oolong are collectively called é'茶 (qÄ«ng chá). Oolong tea can be sweet and fruity or woody or green with a light aroma. Once picked, the tea is rolled into small nuggets or long, curly leaves to seal in its essential oils which slowly oxidize and darken the leaves. The most popular oolong tea is tiÄ› guānyÄ«n (鐵觀音, 'Iron Goddess of Mercy'), a fragrant tea from Fujian, China and Alishan, Taiwan that can be steeped up to 10 times and is best paired with mild cookies or cakes. White Tea White tea (白茶, báichá) is derived from unopened buds of the Camellia sinensis plant. It is named for the fine white hair on the unopened buds of the tea plant. The leaves are left in the sun to whither, so the tea is lightly oxidized, and then dried. White tea is almost exclusively grown in China. Infused or Scented Tea Lauren Mack / About.com Infused tea is a mix of black, green and oolong tea with perfume (like Earl Grey, a bergamot-flavored tea named for England’s Prime Minister Charles II, the Earl of Grey) or flowers like jasmine (茉莉绿茶, mòlì lÇœchá). One popular scented tea is jasmine tea, a cut black tea with an amber color from Fujian which pairs well with dim sum. Herbal Tea Lauren Mack / About.com Herbal tea is technically not a tea because its flavors are extracted from flowers, grains or herbs. Most herbal teas are caffeine free and are popular in most parts of China, especially Guangdong province. Many Chinese believe in herbal tea’s health benefits, including better complexion, indigestion relief, prevention of heat in the body. improved eyesight, and headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, and hypertension relief. Popular Chinese herbal teas include: barley (大麦茶, dàmài chá), a pale amber, nutty liquid made from roasted barley, eight treasure (八宝茶, bā bÇŽo chá), a robust tea that takes longer to steep and is often served with rock sugar (冰糖, bÄ«ngtáng), and chrysanthemum (菊花茶, júhuā chá), a calming tea also often served with rock sugar. Compressed Tea Lauren Mack / About.com Compressed tea is made by steaming and compacting tea leaves into shapes like a disc. The most popular compressed teas are pÇ"'Ä›r (普洱茶, pÇ"'Ä›r chá), a very dark, aromatic, smooth, full-bodied tea from Yunnan and tuóchá (沱茶, bowl-shaped) tea from Sichuan. PÇ"'Ä›r tea leaves are aged for many years to reduce the tea’s harshness and bitterness from the tannins.

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