“Chaye xue dao lao, chaye micheng xue bu liao.” This old Fujian saying means “even though one studies tea until old age, one can never learn all the names of types of tea.”
It is remarkable that one evergreen plant, the Camellia sinensis is the source of so many varieties of tea. The Camellia sinensis grows in subtropical climates, at high or very high altitudes. Since the time the Emperor accidentally brewed the first cup of tea, the world has seen an endless variety of tea produced in more than 35 countries.
Tea comes to us in a variety of forms offering an amazing array of choices. Tea leaves can be rolled into pellets, curled into ribbons or twisted. They can be woven together to take the form of fruits, bird’s nests or flowers. The leaves can be dried whole, broken into little pieces or pulverized.
The Best Teas in the World
The best teas are grown in India, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, China and Japan. Topography, altitude, weather and the style of processing determines the flavor profile or characteristics of tea. Teas from India and Sri Lanka are generally considered to be crisp and clean. Those from Japan and China are delicate and sweet, and teas from Taiwan have a distinctive floral scent and taste.
Chinese Tea
In China, the homeland of tea, white tea like Silver Needle is popular and is served in highball glasses. The leaves can be seen dancing or floating gracefully in the glasses. Shou Mei and Pai Mutan are also common favorites.
Exceptional in sweetness and light color are the green teas from the rolled Gunpowder or the delicate leaf Pi Lo Chun or Young Hysons. The most prized of Chinese green teas is Lung Ching or Dragonwell.
Yunnan and Keemun, which are richly aromatic, are among the most popular black teas in China. Some black teas are scented with Jasmine, and the finest Chinese jasmine teas are made with green tea leaves. Jasmine leaves are laced on beds of tea leaves and left overnight because Jasmine only blooms in the evenings. This type of layering is repeated several times until the tea leaves are infused with the scent of jasmine and results in a delicate and faintly aromatic taste.
Pu-erh tea from Yunnan province of China is fully fermented and gets better as it ages. Pu-erh is either green, oolong or black, but this tea is aged intentionally from several months to fifty years or longer. It is referred to as the “Chinese penicillin” because of the health benefits derived from drinking the tea. Pu-erh is known to reduce cholesterol and helps with digestion.
Assam and Darjeeling
In India, the hearty Assam is processed as black and tastes well with milk. Assam is also the ideal tea for blending with other teas that need a little punch.
Darjeeling in northeast India is home to around eighty farms and some say that the mystique of the mountains gives Darjeeling tea its distinctive, delicate yet sharp fragrance. This is the most expensive tea grown in India and is considered to be the champagne of teas.
The exceptional Nilgiri black teas are known as the Blue Mountain teas. These soft and clean-tasting teas are the ideal choice for stand-alone tea.
Japanese Tea
Green teas are the most popular throughout Japan. Matcha is the powdered green tea used in the Japanese tea ceremony. Matcha is slightly bitter but froths well. It is not steeped - instead it is whisked with hot water for the tea ceremony.
Sencha is the most commonly drunk green tea in Japan. It is often referred to as everyday tea. Sencha is lightly steamed or dried and hand processed and has a delicate, grassy green taste.
The most highly prized of green teas in Japan is the Gyokuro. It has an intense green color and sweet taste, the result of covering the leaves for extended periods of time. This slows down photosynthesis and increases the flavor elements. Gyokuro is also called Precious Dew.
Ceylon Tea
Ceylon teas are grown in Sri Lanka and was popularized by Sir Thomas Lipton. Most Ceylon teas brew to a reddish orange liquor and could either be astringent, clean tasting and, as Sir Lipton said, “brisk.” The best Ceylon teas are grown in Nuwara, Eliya, Dimbulla, Ratnapura, Uwa and Kandy.
Taiwan produces the famous Ti Kwan Yin, an excellent oolong. Formosa oolongs produced in Taiwan are considered by many to be the finest oolong in the world. Pouchong is a subcategory and gives a lighter green to greenish-yellow cup and a “green taste” that is the result of the shorter processing time.
