Essentially, all Chinese tea comes from the Camella Sinsenis plant. But what separates different teas is the way that they are processed. — Photos: YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
What is Chinese tea made up of? Essentially, all Chinese tea comes from the Camella Sinsenis plant. But what separates different teas is the way that they are processed.
While the Western world recognises four kinds of teas, there are six acknowledged types of Chinese teas – green tea, yellow tea, white tea, Oolong tea, dark tea and red tea.
Green tea is the oldest tea from China and has the highest production rate. Green tea is attained from tea leaves picked during spring.
The tea is novel in that it is the most minimally oxidated of all teas, with the leaves dried shortly after being picked and then pan-fried (fixation by heating) to ensure the leaves do not oxidise, which is why the leaves still retain a vivid green hue.
Traditional Chinese green tea has a pale colour and a fresh, sweet taste.
Yellow tea meanwhile follows all the same processes as green tea, with the addition of ‘yellowing’.
Yellowing is the step that follows fixation by heat and basically involves placing warm, damp tea leaves inside a container and wrapping them, which allows the leaves to release and reabsorb moisture.
After a few days, the leaves are unwrapped and then dried, typically over charcoal. Because of yellow tea’s partial oxidation, it normally has a smoother finish.
There are six different kinds of Chinese teas - green tea, white tea, yellow tea, Oolong tea, red tea and dark tea - which are different based on the way they are processed. — YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
White tea meanwhile originates from the Fujian province and is the least processed of all the six teas as it does not incorporate the process of fixation by heat.
Instead, the tea leaves are entirely sun-dried to preserve flavour, which gives it a fresher, crisper flavour. Silver Needle and Bai Mu Dan are examples of white teas.
Oolong tea on the other hand, is one of the most popular teas in China. Oolong tea is also the hardest tea to produce as it is more labour-intensive and requires far more skill. The tea is semi-oxidised and is often considered somewhere between a green tea and a black tea.
Oolong tea goes through the process of Yaoqing and roasting. Yaoqing is turning and fluffing the leaves to release flavours, which is what gives it a unique flavour. Ti Guan Yin is an example of an Oolong tea.
“Oolong tea is graded by the percentage of oxidation. Anything from 25% all the way to almost 80% to 85% is considered Oolong. So even with Ti Guan Yin, there are more than a thousand grades,” says Koh Peng Chye, who runs modern tea bar Beca Tea.
“The less oxidised Ti Guan Yin preserves a more floral note while the more oxidised variants tend to become a little more fruity.
“Then there’s also the other aspect where some of the producers will roast it or fire it on high heat – the advantage to this is the higher the heat, the more bacteria is killed, and this will maintain the stability of the flavors
“The less oxidised teas like the white teas, green teas and yellow teas tend to be able to maintain their flavours and characteristics for only like 18 months. After that, they do not turn bad, it’s just that the characteristics will change."
Perhaps the two teas that have caused the most confusion are the last two categories of Chinese tea – red tea and black/dark tea.
“The West will say that red teas are black teas because this tea is oxidised so that the leaves look black. But in China, it is classified as red tea because this fully oxidised tea is reddish-orange,” says Koh.
Red tea is fully oxidated tea and is known to have a silken smooth finish. The most well-known variant of red tea is probably Lapsang Souchong.
The sixth and final category of Chinese tea is dark tea (hei cha) which is essentially tea that has been fully oxidated and then goes through a fermentation process. All Chinese dark teas are thus considered probiotics.
Pu Er tea is probably the most famed of all dark teas and is thought to have originated 2,000 years ago in the Yunnan province.
