All About Chinese Tea

In Chinese literature you can easily find references about tea that date back to some 5000 years but its use as a beverage is still not clear. In reality in keeping with the ancient folklore in 2737 BC the creation of a brew happened. It is said that when a camellia blossom was found in the hot drinking water of Shen Nung the evolution of tea took place. Reported by some scholars its resource was found in an ancient Chinese dictionary named Erh Ya which goes back to 350 BC.

In ancient period the tea was drunk for its herbal and medicinal properties. Since the ancient time it has been acknowledged that tea support in digestion and for this justification most Chinese people have a cup of tea right after meals. There is some interesting side effect for smokers that tea can hasten the discharge of nicotine from the body. It was 8th century while the tea drinking evolved into an art form. This elevation resulted with the publication of Lu Yu's "The Classic Art of Tea".

The previous Buddhist and highly famous poet used to be quite specific about the correct method of brewing, steeping as well as the manner of serving. For example, it was must to place the leaves in a cup made of porcelain as well as slow-moving stream water.The only great environment for experiencing the finished product i.e. tea was merely a pavilion particularly the one near to a water lily pond. This delicacy was enjoyed in the circle of acceptable women. Some of his very practical tips on tea manufacturing are still in observed.

Popularity of tea spread all over China especially in the following centuries when the Yu's work was published. Consequently tea drinking became the leading matter for poems and books. Tea was then given as a reward by Emperors of those times. And, then tea houses did start to surface in region. Tea plays a healthy role in the daily life of Chinese and that's why they value it unlike Japanese who celebrate tea ceremony.

It is quite stunning to know that all categories of tea in truth come from one base i.e. Camilla Sinensis bush. There are four basic categories of tea but there are hundreds of types of Chinese tea. White tea is considered the healthy one it is made from the immature tea leaves. The Chinese pick and pluck these leaves when they are in the budding stage and not when they are totally bloomed. The shades of green tea leaves is retained as it is not fermented during developing. Dragon Well tea, is the most expensive and the most popular green tea.. It is harvested in the slopes of Hanghou. The black tea is produced in a fermented process, which is also known as red tea because of its dark leaves.

The popular types of black tea feature Bo lei, that is a Cantonese tea. This tea is mi der is frequently taken by older people. And then there are oolong tea that are partially fermented and makes for a black-green tea. The Oolong tea also known as Soi sin have a bitter taste and is generally grown in Fukien. The 'scented tea' is the fourth variety which is made by combining different flowers and petals or oolong tea. When you compare these entire tea flavor the best accepted tea is white tea and jasmine tea. Today, most of us don't have a pavilion or a lily pond around our backyard but still we can relish this ancient tea. However is it essential to know how to brew a perfect tea.