Chinese tea

Chinese tea is an acquired taste, like most teas. It normally comes from the South of China or Taiwan and there are different Chinese teas depending on the region of the country they come from.

The tea leaves are collected and left to dry under the sun – the time varies for this depending on the temperature and type of leaves.

The next step involves roasting the leaves but once again, the time depends on the type of leaf and for the level of roasting. There are three roasting levels including raw, half-roast and full roast. Leaves are normally kept whole throughout the process.

Chinese tea myths

There are certain times in which to drink certain Chinese teas according to Chinese medicine – Green tea should be drunk in the afternoon as it is a ‘cold’ tasting tea and the afternoon is when people are at their hottest.

Some teas should be made using two cups, others should be made in a clay Chinese teapot, tea leaves must be kept in an air-tight container and each family should have their own set of tea cups which are proportionate to the size of their teapot. They should also have their own tea spoon which is normally made from bamboo.

Some teas should be made with boiling water whereas other teas should be made with hot water. The Chinese believe that the darker the leaves, the hotter the water should be. If the tea smells of cabbage, the water was too hot.