Known
as the birthplace of tea, for hundreds of years China produced the only
teas known to the western world. Although consuming much of her own
production, China still accounts for over 18% of world exports. China
has 1,431,300 hectares planted with tea.
As well as black teas, China produces five other principal types for
which the country is famous: Green, Oolong, White, Flavoured and
Compressed teas. With some exceptions - such as Lapsang Souchong,
Gunpowder and Keemun - most teas from China are not easily found in the
general marketplace.
Black Teas
Lapsang Souchong
Perhaps the most famous china tea, the best coming from the hills in
north Fujian. It is a unique large leaf tea distinguished by its smoky
aroma and flavour. The tarry taste is acquired through drying over pine
wood fires.
The legend about the origin of Lapsang Souchong is that the smoking
process was discovered by accident. An army is said to have camped in a
tea factory that was full of drying leaves which had to be moved to
accommodate the soldiers. When the soldiers left, the leaves needed to
be dried quickly, so the workers lit open fires of pinewood to speed up
the drying. The tea reached the market on time and a new flavour had
been created.
The real story about why these teas from Fujian province have a smoky
flavour is that in the early 17th century when the Chinese tea
producers began to export their teas to Europe and America, their
traditional green teas did not travel well and quickly lost quality
during the 15-18 month journey across land and sea. The producers
developed a method of rolling, oxidising and drying their teas so that
they would hold their quality for longer. Once the teas had been
oxidised, they were spread on bamboo baskets which were placed on racks
in the drying room. This was built over ovens that allowed the heat to
rise up through vents in the ceiling and into the drying room above. To
fire the ovens, the tea manufacturers used the local pine wood from the
forests that surrounded (and still surround) the factories, and as the
wood slowly burned, it gave off a certain amount of smoke that was
absorbed by the drying tea and gave it a lightly smoked, sappy, pine
character.
The factories that made those lightly smoked black teas in Fujian
province still manufacture lightly smoked Lapsangs in exactly the same
way as they did 400 years ago. The teas are often called Bohea Lapsangs
- the term Bohea being a derivation of 'Wuyi', the name of the famous
mountain area where these teas are made. They also manufacture the much
smokier Lapsang Souchongs that are popular today.
Keemun
A popular black tea from Anhui Province, this is a 'gonfu' tea -
which means that it is made with disciplined skill to produce the thin
tight strips of leaf without breaking the leaves. The tight black
leaves give a rich brown liquor, which has a lightly scented nutty
flavour and delicate aroma.
Yunnan
A black tea from the province of Yunnan in the south west of China.
It has a rich, earthy, malty flavour similar to Assam teas and is best
drunk with milk. It makes an excellent breakfast tea.
Other recommended China black teas are Keemun Mao Feng (Hair Point) and Szechwan Imperial.
Green Teas
Many green China teas are still traditionally made by hand using
methods that have been handed down from generation to generation.
However, more and more teas are now made in mechanised factories. Green
teas are totally unoxidised (compared to black teas which are fully
oxidised) and so the first stage of the manufacturing process is to kill
any enzymes that would otherwise cause oxidation to take place. To
de-enzyme them, the freshly plucked leaves are either steamed (to make
'sencha-type teas) or tumbled quickly in a wok or panning machine (to
make pan-fired teas) and are then rolled by hand or machine to give the
leaf a particular appearance - some teas are twisted, some curved, some
rolled into pellets, etc. To remove all but 2-3% of the remaining
water, the tea is then dried in hot ovens or over charcoal stoves.
Gunpowder
Most Gunpowder tea is produced in Pingshui in Zheijian Province.
After it has been pan-fired to de-enzyme it, the leaf is rolled into
small pellets and then dried. The pellets look remarkably like lead
shot or gunpowder, giving the tea its descriptive name. The pellets
come in different sizes - the smaller the leaf plucked and rolled, the
smaller the pellet - and grades range from tiny 'pinhead' gunpowder to
larger 'peahead' gunpowder. Gunpowder tea has a soft honey or coppery
liquor with a herby smooth light taste.
Chun Mee
Chun Mee literally means 'precious eyebrows' and the shape of the
leaves give this tea its name. The processing of 'eyebrow' teas demands
great skill in order to hand roll and dry the leaves to the correct
shape at the right temperature for the correct length of time. These
long, fine jade leaves give a clear, pale yellow liquor with a smooth
taste.
Other green teas from China include Longjing (Dragon's Well) from
Zheijiang; Taiping Hon Kui (Monkey King) from Anhui; and Youngxi Huo
Qing (Firegreen).
Oolong
Traditionally from China's Fujian province and Taiwan, these are
semi-oxidised teas that vary from greenish rolled oolongs (that give a
light, floral liquor reminiscent of lily of the valley, narcissus,
orchid or hyacinth) to dark brown leafed oolongs (that yield liquors
with deeper, earthier flavours and lingering hints of peach and
apricot).
These two distinct types of oolong are made by two very different processes.
To manufacture the darker leafed oolongs, the freshly plucked leaf is
withered, then shaken or 'rattled' in bamboo baskets or in a bamboo
tumbling machine to lightly bruise parts of the leaf, then oxidised for a
short time so that the bruised parts of the leaf begin to oxidise.
When 60-70% oxidation has been reached, the leaf is dried.
To manufacture the greener oolongs, the leaf is withered and then
wrapped inside a large cloth and rolled in a special machine. The bag
is then opened and the leaf is spread out briefly to oxidise lightly.
The leaf is repeatedly wrapped, rolled and oxidised until approximately
30% oxidation has been achieved. The tea is then dried to remove all
but 2-3% of the remaining water. The most famous of these greener,
light, fragrant oolongs is Tie Kuan YIn which has a hyacinth or
narcissus character.
All oolongs are better drunk without milk.
Tie Kuan Yin
This is made in China's Fuijan province and in Taiwan. The name
means 'Tea of the Iron Goddess of Mercy' who is said to have appeared in
a dream to a local tea farmer, telling him to look in a cave behind her
temple. There he found a single tea shoot that he planted and
cultivated. The bush he grew is said to have been the parent bush from
which cuttings have been grown and leaf plucked over the centuries to
make this very fragrant tea. It is today one of the most sought after
oolongs around the world.
Other recommended China oolong teas are Fonghwang Tan-chung, Shui
Hsien (Water Sprite), Oolong Sechung and Wuyi Liu Hsiang, Huan Jin Qui
(Yellow Golden Flower), Da Hong Pao (Great Red Robe), Loui Gui (Meat
Flower) and Wuyi Yan (Bohea Rock).
Pouchong
Produced in China's Fujian province and Taiwan, pouchong teas are
more lightly oxidised that oolongs. The name means 'the wrapped kind'
which refers to the fact that the tea was traditionally wrapped in paper
after the manufacturing process when the tea was ready for sale. Long,
stylish black leaves brew a very mild cup with an amber infusion and a
very smooth, sweet taste.
White Teas
White teas traditionally come from China's Fujian province and are
made from leaf buds and leaves of the Da Bai (Big White) tea varietal by
the simplest process of all teas. Very young new leaf buds and baby
leaves are simply gathered and dried - often in the sun. The
manufacturing process includes no withering, no steaming, no rolling, no
oxidising and no shaping. The best known white teas are Pai Mu Tan
(White Peony) which is made using new leaf buds and a few very young
leaves, and Yin Zhen (Silver Needles) which is made from just the new
leaf buds.
Pai Mu Tan Imperial
This rare white tea is made from very small buds and a few baby
leaves that are picked in the early spring, and once they have
been dried, they look like lots of tiny white blossoms with a few darker
leaves surrounding the white bud - the reason for it's name, 'White
Peony'.
Yin Zhen
From the Fuijan province, this tea is made from tender new buds that
are covered in silvery white hairs and it's name means 'Silver Needles'.
Puerh Teas
The official Chinese definition for Puerh tea is "Products fermented
from green tea of big leaves picked within Yunnan province". However,
even Chinese specialists cannot agree on the true definition but, in
general terms, Puerh teas are teas from Yunnan that are aged for up to
50 years in humidity- and temperature-controlled conditions to produce
teas that have a typically earthy, mature, smooth flavour and aroma.
There are two types of Puerh tea made by two different methods
of manufacture: Naturally Fermented Puerh tea (also known as Raw Tea or
Sheng Tea) and Artificially Fermented Puerh tea (also known as Ripe Tea
or Shou Tea).
To make Naturally Fermented Puerh tea, fresh leaves from the bush are
withered, de-enzymed in a large wok, twisted and rolled by hand, dried
in the sun, steamed to soften them and then left loose or compressed
into flat cakes or blocks of various shapes. The tea is then stored in
controlled conditions to age and acquire its typically earthy character.
To make Artificially Fermented Puerh tea, fresh tea leaves are
withered, de-enzymed in a large wok, twisted and rolled by hand, dried
in the sun and then mixed with a fixed quantity of water, piled, covered
with large 'blankets' made from hide and left to ferment. The tea is
stirred at intervals and the whole process takes several weeks. When
the teas have fermented to a suitable level, they are steamed and then
left loose or compressed in the same way as Naturally Fermented Puerh
teas.
The teas are then stored in damp, cool conditions to age. Naturally
Fermented Puerh teas are left for at least 15 and up to 50 years;
Artificially Fermented Puerh teas are aged for only a few weeks or
months. When ready, each cake of Puerh tea is wrapped in tissue paper
or dried bamboo leaves.
The reason for manufacturing Puerh teas by artificial fermentation is
to allow the tea producers to make more Puerh in a shorter time. 50
years is a long time to wait for a good Puerh so the more modern
artificial method was developed to meet a growing demand for these teas.
Puerh tea is named after Puerh city in Yunnan province which was once the main trading centre for teas made in the area.
Compressed Teas
Tuancha
Tuancha, meaning 'tea balls' are made in differing sizes, the
smallest is about half the size of a table tennis ball. These little
balls are often made from Puerh aged tea and have an earthy flavour and
aroma.
Tuocha
Originally from Yunnan province, Tuocha is usually a Puerh tea that
has been compressed into a bird's nest shape and has a similar earthy,
elemental taste.
Flavoured and Scented Teas
Jasmine
China tea which has been dried with Jasmine blossoms placed between
the layers of tea. The tea therefore has a light, delicate Jasmine aroma
and flavour.
Rose Congou
A large-leafed black tea scented with rose petals. The manufacture of
'gongfu' teas demand great skill in the handling of the leaves, the
temperature control and the timing of each part of the process.
Earl Grey
Traditionally, a blend of black China teas treated with natural oils
of the citrus Bergamot fruit which gives the tea it's perfumed aroma and
flavour. Earl Grey tea is said to have originally been blended for the
second Earl Grey by a mandarin after Britain had completed a successful
diplomatic mission to China.
More Flavoured and Scented Teas
Other teas in this category from China include Osmanthus, Magnolia, Orchid, Chloranthus and Lichee.
One
of the oldest of the African producers, Kenya has a history of tea
dating back to 1903, when tea seeds from India were first planted on a
two acre farm. Today, Kenya has 69000 hectares under cultivation by
smallholders (shambas), under the protection of the Kenya Tea
Development Authority, and tea producing companies in the public and
private sector. Kenya exports over 349,000 tonnes of tea per year (22%
of world exports). Kenya's equatorial climate allows tea growing all
year round.
Malawi
is the pioneer of tea growing in Africa, with production first starting
commercially in the 1880s in Mulanje. Now exporting over 43,000 tonnes
annually, Malawi has a 3% share of world exports and is mainly
responsible for the spread of tea cultivation in Africa. Malawi was the
first African country to adopt the cloning method of estate
refurbishment. Although Malawi teas are not so well known as speciality
teas, their superb colour and brightness means they are used in the
blending of leading British tea brands.
Tea
production in Zimbabwe could begin commercially only after the
successful establishment of irrigated tea estates. With an average
annual rainfall of not more than 26 inches per annum, as opposed to the
50 plus inches per annum usually required, irrigation is essential to
continuous growth. Zimbabwe now exports over 15,000 tonnes of tea per
year. Today, tea is a "controlled" commodity in Zimbabwe so that its
quality and industry growth are protected.
India
is one of the main tea growers, exporting more than 12% of the world's
tea and with 523,000 hectares under cultivation. Although indigenous to
the Assam region, the first commercially produced teas were raised from
seeds brought from China.
Sri
Lanka has over 188,0000 hectares under tea cultivation yielding about
298,000 tonnes of "made" tea, and accounting for over 19% of world
exports. In 1972, the island then known as Ceylon reverted to the
traditional name of Sri Lanka, but retained the name of Ceylon for the
marketing of teas.
