Tea-Variations

Tea-Variations

Each of the following teas have different variations, all with different processing methods. Tea Leaves can be steamed, baked, fermented, sun dried, rolled, etc. These methods of processing in addition to unique climates, soil types and quality of the chosen leaves provide each variety of tea with a unique taste.

China has in total around 1500 varieties, which are divided into seven main categories:

1. Green Tea

Pan-dried green tea

Hot-air-dried green tea

Sun-dried green tea

Steamed green tea

Green tea has historically been Asia's most famous tea, but recently this tea has become popular in the West as well. Green tea has almost no oxidation and has therefore many good qualities. The secret of green tea lies in the fact that green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols, specifically epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). This anti-antioxidant fights cancer without any negative side-effects. There are indications that drinking green tea also helps with high cholesterol, control of blood clots, etc. In addition, green tea has a full, natural flavor. Due to the wide range of green teas Tea Adventure offers, you are sure to find a flavor that best suits your personal taste. Some famous green teas are: West Lake Longjing, Melon Slice from Liu An, Yellow Mountain Fur Peak, Monkey Chief from Taiping. More info..

Process : Fresh Leaves – Panning (steaming) – Rolling – Drying

2. White Tea

White Bud Tea

White Leaf Tea

White tea consists only of the very young, unopened leaves of the camellia sinensis from Fuding (northern Fujian). Because the leaves are picked in the very early part of the season, the leaves are covered by white hairs, which are typical for the best white teas. White tea has a mild flavor with natural sweetness. This tea is great throughout the year, but especially in summer, the taste of this tea will give you a refreshing feeling. Due its mild flavor, this tea doesn’t turn easily bitter. Even an infusion of over five minutes will not affect this tea in a negative way. If you find green tea too strong, then we recommend this fantastic tea. The most famous white teas are: Silver Needle and the White Peony. More info..

Process : Fresh Leaves – Withering - Firing – Light-Rolling – Drying

3. Yellow Tea

Yellow Bud Tea

Yellow Little Leaf Tea

Yellow Large Leaf Tea

Yellow tea is a tea you nowadays find in just a few places in China, due the difficult processing technique. Only three species of this tea are well known: the Meng Ding from Sichuan, Junshan Silver Needle from Hunan and the Huoshan Yellow Buds from Anhui. Both the leaves and the teawater have a yellow / green colour. Hence this tea is called yellow tea. The taste of tea is fresh, but also has a slight hint of pepper. The yellow tea is a light tea, soft and fragile. Along with white tea, it is the least processed tea, and thus contains more antioxidants than other teas. More info..

Process : Fresh Leaves – Panning, Rolling – Pile-Yellowing – Drying

4. Black Tea

Souchong

Congou (kongfu)

Orthodox Black Tea

Broken Black Tea

Black tea is especially popular in North America and Europe. Today around 60% of all tea drunk in the West is black tea. Black tea has started to become more popular in China, since it has a 'warming effect' on the stomach. Chinese black tea is very different than the black 'bulk teas' we know in Europe and North America. There are dozens of variations, each with its own characteristics, from very sweet and light to dark and dry. It’s possible to find the perfect match for every taste preference. Black tea differs from green, yellow and white tea, because of the fermentation process it goes through. After fermentation, the color of the leaves change from green to black. The different processing methods, but as well the origin of the tea leaves, provides a wide range of tastes. Famous black teas are : Qimen Black, Yunnan Black, Lapsang Souchong and Minnan Black (Tan Yang Kongfu). More info..

Process : Fresh Leaves –Withering – Rolling – Full Fermentation – Drying

5. Wulong Tea

Minbei Wulong

Minnan Wulong

Guangdong Wulong

Taiwan Wulong

One of the most popular teas in the southeast of China is the Wulong tea. Wulong tea is distinguished from other varieties of tea, since it is just partially oxidized. This very difficult process leads to many unusual and great flavors, which combine the taste and color of black and green tea. Wulong tea is divided into green and dark variants. The most famous example of the green variety is the Tieguanyin and the most famous example of the dark variety is the Da Hong Pao, which is a rock tea from Wuyishan. Yet this tea is not too popular in Europe and North America, but we expect that this will change over the next years. If you taste this tea, you will understand why this tea is so popular in China and why people are willing to pay thousands of euros for the best grades. The most well-known Wulong teas are: Tieguanyin and Da Hong Pao. More info..

Process : Fresh Leaves – Solar Withering – Indoor Withering and Shaking – Panning – Rolling – Drying

6. Pu'erh Tea

Hunan Dark Tea

Hubei Laoqing Tea

Sichuan Route Tea

Diangui Dark Tea (Pu´erh)

In southern Yunnan, we find Pu'erh tea, a tea famous for its health benefits, history and post-fermentation characteristics. Pu'erh tea has both a 'raw' and a 'cooked' variety. The raw version has quite a green flavor and gets better, softer in taste over the years. The cooked version is black and has an earthy flavor. The cooked version will as well get better in taste with the years, but the difference is not as big as the raw pu'erh tea. Both variants have many different types, mainly due geographical origin and the production process. Because of Pu'erhs culture, history, health effects and great taste, drinking Pu’erh will be an adventure through time and taste. Also, this tea 'naipao, which means that you can continue steeping this tea repeatedly without losing flavor. In many cases, this goes up to over fifteen times, therefore this tea can be very cost effective. More info..

Process : Fresh Leaves –Panning – Rolling – Pile Fermentation – Drying – Steaming and Compressing – Compressed Tea

7. Scented / Flower Tea

Scented Tea

Herb Tea

Scented teas include the combination of high quality tea with the delicious fragrances and tastes of, for example, jasmine, or the flower of the pomelo. Because of these many combinations, this tea is popular with people all over the world, since it as well has all the good health effects high quality tea has to offer. We only use natural ingredients for our scented teas. You just have to experience the fragrance of this tea for yourself to know that we are talking about premium quality. More info...