It's summer time. Let's have Chinese green tea.

How many Chinese tea names do you know in Mandarin? Only 绿茶 and 中国茶？

Let's check out different Chinese tea names in Mandarin!

Major Chinese Tea Types:

绿茶 lǜchá —— green tea (made from Camellia sinensis leaves and buds that have not undergone the same withering and oxidation process.)

红茶 hóngchá —— black tea (more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white and green teas. Black tea is generally stronger in flavor than other teas.)

白茶 báichá —— white tea (generally feature young or minimally processed leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant.)

黄茶 huángchá —— yellow tea (process for making yellow tea is similar to that of green but with an added step of encasing and steaming the tea.)

乌龙茶 wūlóngchá —— oolong tea (a traditional semi-oxidized Chinese tea Camellia sinensis produced through a process including withering the plant under strong sun and oxidation before curling and twisting)

花茶 huāchá —— scented tea (lit. flower tea, such as jasmine tea, 茉莉花茶 mòlìhuā chá)

黑茶 hēichá —— fermented tea (also known 发酵茶 fā jiào chá) is a class of tea that has undergone microbial fermentation, from several months to many years.

Famous Chinese Tea Types in China：

龙井 lóngjǐng ——  Longjing tea — green tea lǜchá

literal translated name Dragon Well tea, is a variety of pan-roasted green tea from the area of Longjing Village in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. It is produced mostly by hand and renowned for its high quality, earning it the China Famous Tea title.

碧螺春 bìluóchūn ——  Biluochun — green tea lǜchá

a famous green tea originally grown in the Dongting mountain region near Lake Tai in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. Also known as Pi Lo Chun, it is renowned for its delicate appearance, fruity taste, floral aroma, showy white hairs and early cropping.

普洱 pǔ'ěr ——  Pu-erh — Fermented tea fā jiào chá

Its name is also the origin place name in Yunnan province in China. 普洱茶 is a variety of fermented tea traditionally produced in Yunnan province. It's very popular tea choice in Yum Cha culture in Hong Kong. Yum Cha is the Cantonese tradition of brunch involving Chinese tea 中国茶 and dim sum 点心.

铁观音 tiě guānyīn ——  Tieguanyin — oolong tea wūlóngchá

literally: 'Iron Goddess of Mercy'. Tieguanyin  is a variety of Chinese oolong tea that originated in the 19th century in Anxi in Fujian province.

大红袍 dàhóng páo ——  Da Hong Pao — oolong wūlóngchá

literally: 'Big Red Robe'. Da Hong Pao is a Wuyi rock tea grown in the Wuyi Mountains. It is a heavily oxidized, dark oolong tea. The highest quality versions frequently sell as the most expensive tea.

寿眉 shòu méi —— Shoumei —  white báichá

literally: 'Longevity Eyebrow'. A white tea that is produced from naturally withered upper leaf and tips, with a stronger flavor reminiscent of lighter oolong teas. It is mostly grown in Fujian Province and Guangxi Province in China.

Chinese Tea and Health Benefits

Chinese tea contains special substances like tea polyphenol and theine, which are beneficial in our body health. Chinese Tea can refresh mind, lose weight, increase the digestion and clean palate. Do you know some benefits of drinking Chinese Tea? Please feel free to discuss in class!