Oolong is a traditional semi-oxidized Chinese tea produced through a process including withering the plant under strong sun and oxidation before curling and twisting. Most oolong teas,especially those of fine quality,involve unique tea plant cultivars that are exclusively used for particular varieties. The degree of oxidation,which varies according to the chosen duration of time before firing,can range from 8 to 85%,depending on the variety and production style. Oolong is especially popular in south China and among Chinese expatriates in Southeast Asia as is the Fujian preparation process known as the Gongfu tea ceremony.
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of Camellia sinensis,an evergreen shrub native to China,India and other East Asian countries. Tea is also rarely made from the leaves of Camellia taliensis. After water,it is the most widely consumed drink in the world. There are many different types of tea;some have a cooling,slightly bitter,and astringent flavour,while others have vastly different profiles that include sweet,nutty,floral,or grassy notes. Tea has a stimulating effect in humans primarily due to its caffeine content.
Green tea is a type of tea that is made from Camellia sinensis leaves and buds that have not undergone the same withering and oxidation process used to make oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China,and since then its production and manufacture has spread to other countries in East Asia.
Lapsang souchong is a black tea consisting of Camellia sinensis leaves that are smoke-dried over a pinewood fire. This smoking is accomplished either as a cold smoke of the raw leaves as they are processed or as a hot smoke of previously processed leaves. The intensity of the smoke aroma can be varied by locating the leaves closer or farther from the source of heat and smoke or by adjusting the duration of the process. The flavour and aroma of lapsang souchong is described as containing empyreumatic notes,including wood smoke,pine resin,smoked paprika,and dried longan;it may be mixed with milk but is not bitter and usually not sweetened with sugar. The tea originates from the Wuyi Mountains region of Fujian,China and is considered a Wuyi tea. It is also produced in Taiwan (Formosa). It has been labelled as smoked tea,Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong,smoky souchong,tarry lapsang souchong,and lapsang souchong crocodile. While the tea leaf grading system adopted the term souchong to refer to a particular leaf position,lapsang souchong may be made with any leaf of the Camellia sinensis plant,though it is not unusual for the lower leaves,which are larger and less flavourful,to be used as the smoking compensates for the lower flavour profile and the higher leaves are more valuable for use in unflavoured or unblended teas. In addition to its consumption as a tea,lapsang souchong is also used in stock for soups,stews and sauces or otherwise as a spice or seasoning.
Tieguanyin is a variety of Chinese oolong tea that originated in the 19th century in Anxi in Fujian province. Tieguanyin produced in different areas of Anxi have different gastronomic characteristics.
Tea is a beverage made from the leaves of tea plants and boiled water. Tea leaves are processed using traditional Chinese methods. Chinese tea is consumed throughout the day,including during meals,as a substitute for plain water,well-being or for simple pleasure.
The history of tea spreads across multiple cultures over the span of thousands of years. With the tea plant Camellia sinensis originating from the land between today's northeast India,north Burma,southwest China,and Tibet,one of the earliest tea drinking is dated back to China's Shang dynasty,in which tea was consumed as a medicinal drink. An early credible record of tea drinking dates to the 3rd century AD,in a medical text written by Hua Tuo. It first became known to western civilization through Portuguese priests and merchants in China during the early 16th century. Drinking tea became popular in Britain during the 17th century. The British introduced tea production,as well as tea consumption,to India,in order to compete with the Chinese monopoly on tea.
The Wuyi Mountains or Wuyishan are a mountain range located in the prefecture of Nanping,in northern Fujian province near the border with Jiangxi province,China. The highest peak in the area is Mount Huanggang at 2,158 metres (7,080 ft) on the border of Fujian and Jiangxi,making it the highest point of both provinces;the lowest altitudes are around 200 metres (660 ft). Many oolong and black teas are produced in the Wuyi Mountains,including Da Hong Pao and lapsang souchong,and are sold as Wuyi tea. The mountain range is known worldwide for its status as a refugium for several rare and endemic plant species,its dramatic river valleys,and the abundance of important temples and archeological sites in the region,and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Da Hong Pao is a Wuyi rock tea grown in the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian Province,China. Da Hong Pao has a unique orchid fragrance and a long-lasting sweet aftertaste. Dry Da Hong Pao has a shape like tightly knotted ropes or slightly twisted strips,and is green and brown in color. After brewing,the tea is orange-yellow,bright and clear. Da Hong Pao can retain its flavor for nine steepings.
Si Da Ming Cong is a collective term referring to four famous Wuyi oolong tea bush varieties and the tea beverages made from them,namely:
Bai Ji Guan or Bai Jiguan is a very light Si Da Ming Cong tea,a well-known oolong tea of Wuyi,in Fujian,China.
Tea blending is the blending of different teas together to produce a final product. This occurs chiefly with black tea that is blended to make most tea bags but can also occur with such teas as Pu-erh,where leaves are blended from different regions before being compressed. The aim of blending is to create a well-balanced flavour using different origins and characters. This also allows for variations in tea leaf quality and differences from season to season to be smoothed out. The one golden rule of blending is this:Every blend must taste the same as the previous one,so a consumer will not be able to detect a difference in flavour from one purchase to the next.
The history of tea in Japan began as early as the 8th century,when the first known references were made in Japanese records. Tea became a drink of the religious classes in Japan when Japanese priests and envoys sent to China to learn about its culture brought tea to Japan. The Buddhist monks Kūkai and Saichōmay have been the first to bring tea seeds to Japan. The first form of tea brought from China was probably brick tea. Tea became a drink of the royal classes when Emperor Saga encouraged the growth of tea plants. Seeds were imported from China,and cultivation in Japan began.
Tea processing is the method in which the leaves from the tea plant Camellia sinensis are transformed into the dried leaves for brewing tea.
Russian Caravan is a blend of oolong,keemun,and lapsang souchong teas. It is described as an aromatic and full-bodied tea with a sweet,malty,and smoky taste. Some varieties do not include lapsang souchong,and thus have a less smoky flavor,while others include assam tea. Traditionally the smoky character was considered to have been imparted to the tea by the close proximity of the camel caravans to countless camp fires en route across the Mongolian Steppes to Russia.
Mengding Ganlu or Ganlu tea is a tea from Meng Mountain,Sichuan Province in the southwest part of China. Meng Shan is reputed to be the place where tea was first cultivated. Mengding Ganlu means "Sweet Dew of Mengding" where Mengding refers to "the top of Meng Shan".
Taiwanese tea includes four main types:oolong tea,black tea,green tea and white tea. The earliest record of tea trees found in Taiwan is from 1717 in Shui Sha Lian (水沙連),present-day Yuchi and Puli,Nantou County. Some of the teas retain the island country's former name,Formosa.
Jinjunmei (金駿眉) is a celebrated black tea from the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian Province,China. It is made exclusively from the buds plucked in early spring from the tea plant. The buds are subsequently fully oxidized and then roasted to yield a tea that has a sweet,fruity and flowery flavour with a long-lasting sweet after-taste. The brew is bright reddish in colour. It is a representative of high-end black tea in Fujian and has now become one of the most expensive varieties of black tea in China.
The etymology of the various words for tea reflects the history of transmission of tea drinking culture and trade from China to countries around the world. Nearly all of the words for tea worldwide fall into three broad groups:te,cha and chai,present in English as tea,cha or char,and chai. The earliest of the three to enter English is cha,which came in the 1590s via the Portuguese,who traded in Macao and picked up the Cantonese pronunciation of the word. The more common tea form arrived in the 17th century via the Dutch,who acquired it either indirectly from the Malay teh,or directly from the tê pronunciation in Min Chinese. The third form chai originated from a northern Chinese pronunciation of cha,which travelled overland to Central Asia and Persia where it picked up a Persian ending yi,and entered English via Hindustani in the 20th century.
