Green teas have flavours closest to the Camellia sinesis plant itself. Green teas are simply picked, sweated, then cooked and dried, with the best ones being produced from early spring leaves. The variety of plant, picking time, picking method, cooking techniques and drying processes create the myriad of varieties we have available in China. Common Chinese green teas are, the famous Longjing (dragons well) from Zhejiang, Biluochen (spring snail) from Jiangsu, Maofeng from Anhui, and Maojian from Henan. Japan also has green tea traditions producing varieties such as Sencha, a powdered green tea called matcha, Bancha which is a lower grade Japanese tea including stems, and Genmaicha which is green tea mixed with toasted rice. Green teas have the shortest shelf life of all teas and are best drunk with in the first few months of picking.

White Teas, popular abroad, originated in Fujian China. These teas, made from only one variety of the tea plant grown in Fuding county, are first oxidized then roasted over coals until dry. These teas are light and sweet and have wide appeal. Often tea drinkers who are turned off by the grassiness of green teas enjoy white teas.

Oolong teas, spelled wulong in Mainland China, are partially oxidized teas and typically come from Fujian, Guangdong, and Taiwan. The tea variety used the, the amount of oxidation and the rolling techniques all affect the end flavour. Rock oolongs from Wuyishan called yancha are highly oxidized 70-80%, dried then toasted. Wuyishan is known to have thousands of different tea varietals. These Wuyi teas are robust with mineral characteristics. Common varieties are Dahongpao, Shuishen, and Rougui. Anxi, a county in the south of Fujian is famous for producing Tieguanyin (iron goddess of mercy). These teas are lightly oxidized, 15-20% then bruised and tightly rolled. They are fragrant, floral fruity teas often with orchid or peach characteristics. Oolong tea with its wide range in flavours, hugely popular in Asia, is often the forgotten category in the western countries.

Black teas, known in China as hongcha (red tea) are fully oxidized and drunk less commonly in China. Common Chinese black teas are Qimen (keemun), Zhenshanxiaozhong (Lapsong souchong) and Dianhong (Yunnan imperial). Chinese black teas are robust and often malty. Black teas can be held for a year or two with out going stale, which made them popular for export in the times when tea was slowly exported by sea.

Puer teas, categorized in China as heicha (black tea) go through various enzyme processes. All puer tea is picked, cooked to reduce moisture and then sun dried. This sun drying produces a base material called Saiqingmaocha, which is then further processed into shou or sheng puer. Saiqingmaocha is often made near where the tea is picked and then a buyer who owns puer facilities buys this raw material to produce into their end product. Sheng puer is steamed and pressed into cakes or bricks of tea and then baked to remove any final moisture. Shou puer goes through a wodui processing, which was invented by the Menghai puer factory in the 1960’s to mimic the flavour of aged sheng puer teas. This process was held a state secret for many years and creates robust earthy teas with ruby infusions. Puer teas come loose and in bricks or cakes and can be stored for many years.

To a novice the Chinese tea ceremony can seem complicated, intimidating and even unnecessary. What is it with these toy tea pots and thimble size cups anyway?

As a cup of tea is mostly water, the quality, quantity and temperature are all critical. Lu Yu, the Tang dynasty tea master who wrote the Cha Jing (Tea Classic), considered fast moving, highly oxygenated mountain spring water best. One contemporary tea master in Maliandao (Tea Street in the South-West Beijing) goes to great lengths to bring in spring water from a secret spring outside the city, claiming bottled water can’t bring out the subtleties of his fine teas. We Beijing city dwellers have little choice but to use bottled spring water, with Nongfu bottled spring water reputed by tea professionals as the best commercially available water.

The temperature of the water is another important consideration when brewing tea. Green and white teas are easily burnt by water that is too hot, creating a bitter, bland brew. Try brewing green teas at 65-80 degrees (C). You can simply let the tea kettle rest for a few minutes after it comes to a boil and it should be perfect for your favorite longjing or maofeng green tea. On the other hand, oolong, black and puer teas require high temperatures to bring out the subtleties contained within the tea. Brew them at 95 degrees (C). You should be careful not to let the kettle boil for long periods of time as the water becomes stale and de-oxygenated and remember never boil tea!

To appreciate wine it should be poured at the right temperature and tasted in a glass of the right shape and size, which is the same with tea. The important thing to remember when brewing loose leaf tea is that the leaves need room to fully expand as they brew. Tea bags and infusion baskets cramp a good leaf’s style. Chinese tea masters use mandarin size teapots because the ratio of leaves to water is critical. The general rule is that higher temperature teas require smaller tea pots; yes these tiny teapots are actually useful not just decorative toys. Try 100ml yixing zixia (unglazed purple sand) clay tea pots and quick 15-30 second infusion times for oolong, black and puer teas. Use 200ml glazed porcelain gaiwans (traditional brewing cup with lid) or glass tea tea pots for green and white teas with 1-2 min infusions. Tea Joy on the 4^th floor of Maliandao’s cha cheng has everything and more to start pouring your own tea ceremonies at home for less than 100RMB.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember when brewing tea is that in theory tea is a science, but in practice it is an art. You can use brewing tea as a moment of peace and relaxation in your day, creating the ‘spiritual in the mundane’ just as Daoist and Zen tea masters have done for centuries. Here is a chart to help guide you in brewing teas at home, but remember brewing tea can only be mastered with practice and patience.