Chinese tea under 8 Chinese tea classes.

All Chinese tea names in Chinese are in graphics

format. Watch out for long loading time. Chinese tea name translations are not official.
Chinese Tea Green
Green tea is the most natural tea class. Green tea is only dried with heat and undergoes
no fermentation process. Green tea has the most medical value and very low caffeine.
Tea Name in
Chinese

Mandarin Pronunciation
Place of Origin - Tea Name
Tai Ping - Hou Kui

Meaning in English
(for Tea Name only)
Monkey King

Xi Hu - Long Jing

Dragon Well

Dong Tin - Bi Luo Chun

Green Spring Snail

Lu Shan - Yun Wu

Cloud & Fog

Huang Shan - Mao Feng

Fur Peak

E Mei - Zhu Ye Qing

Green Bamboo Leaf

Xian Ren Zhang Cha

Cactus Tea

An Hua - Song Zhen

Pine Needle

Liu An - Gua Pian

Melon Slice

Jing Ting - Lue Xue

Green Snow

Nan Jing - Yu Hua

Rain Flower

Liu An - Gua Pian

Melon Slice

Xin Yang - Mao Jian

Fur Tip

Tian Shan - Lu Ya

Green Sprout

Chinese Tea Oolong

Oolong is a class of tea as well as a kind of tea. Oolong tea is half-fermented and thus is
relatively thick in flavor. Oolong tea is very popular in south-east China and Taiwan and
also is the most used tea for Kung Fu Cha. You got to love this - Oolong is an emulsifier
for fat and cholesterol. Like a savior for today's junk food eaters.
Tea Name in
Chinese

Mandarin Pronunciation
Place of Origin - Tea Name
An Xi - Tie Guan Yin
Wu Yi - Da Hong Pao

Meaning in English
(for Tea Name only)
Iron Guan Yin (goddess of
mercifulness)
Big Red Robe

Song Zhong Dan Cong

SONG Species Lone Bush

Feng Huang - Shui Xian

Water Fairy

Yong Chun - Fo Shou

Buddha's Hand

Chinese Tea Black

Black tea is a fully fermented tea class. Black tea is the everyday tea of the west and
northwest. Black tea is good for cleaning up the digestive channel because it's an
emulsifier for fat and cholesterol. Weight-watchers' gospel.
Tea Name in
Chinese

Mandarin Pronunciation
Place of Origin - Tea Name

Meaning in English
(for Tea Name only)

Pu' er

Pu'er (the name is Pu'er)

Hu Nan - Hei Cha

Black Tea

Lao Qing Ye

Old Green Leaf

Xi Chuan - Bian Cha

Edge Tea

Chinese Tea Red

Red tea is not the major hit in China. Red tea's known way of usage, , is to make tea eggs.
Tea Name in
Chinese

Mandarin Pronunciation
Place of Origin - Tea Name
Qi Men - Hung Cha

Meaning in English
(for Tea Name only)
Red Tea

Ying De - Hung Cha

Red Tea (Yes, not fancy names. the

place of origin is what tells the teas
apart)

Chinese Tea White

White tea is similar to green tea except that it's roasted.
content and is very light in color and aroma.
Tea Name in
Chinese

White tea has the lowest caffeine

Mandarin Pronunciation
Place of Origin - Tea Name
Shou Mei

Meaning in English
(for Tea Name only)
Longevity Eyebrow

Bai Mu Dan

White Peony

Yin Zhen Bai Hao

Silver Needle White Fur

Chinese Tea Flower

Flower tea is sometimes called scented tea. (Oh, I have said that in the title) The base of
flower tea can be black, green or whatever. Then ingredients like flower petals might be
added. Flower tea is popular in northern China.
Tea Name in
Chinese

Mandarin Pronunciation
Place of Origin - Tea Name
Mo Li Hua Cha

Meaning in English
(for Tea Name only)
Jasmine

Mei Gui Hua Cha

Rose

Bai Lan Hua Cha

Gardenia (not sure of the

translation though)
Dragon Ball

Long Zhu Hua Cha

Chinese Tea - Compressed Tea

Tea Name in
Chinese

Mandarin Pronunciation
Place of Origin - Tea Name
Bing Cha

Meaning in English
(for Tea Name only)
Cake Tea

Tuo Cha

TUO (just a name) Tea

Zhuang Cha

Brick Tea

Brewing methods of Chinese tea are closely related to everyday life. On this huge piece of
land called China, 1.3 billion people use more than a couple of brewing methods to get their
teas done. It's not like looking into a reference book and you can find them all because
there are methods so casual that books don't care to tell.
Here, Kam shares a few methods he has come across and has practiced. You can choose
your brewing method from the list base on what tea ware you have, the class of Chinese tea
you want to brew, degree of convenience, occasion, etc.
Kam drinks Oolong and green tea mostly. His most used brewing methods are Kung Fu Cha
(big & small) and glass brewing (see below).

The Serious Methods

These are the brewing methods that all tea books and tea sites have to mention. They are
cool ways of doing tea. If you don't mind the trouble of setting up a few things and you
want more flavor from your tea, pick one from below.

Kung Fu Cha (small pot)

Kung Fu Cha (big pot)

Tea ware - YiXing teapot <= 6 oz,

teacups

Tea ware - YiXing teapot > 6 oz, teacups

Tea class - best for Oolong, NOT

for green tea

Tea class - best for Oolong, NOT for green

tea

Convenience - low (very

inconvenient in fact)
Occasion - serious tea drinking,
want to get the best flavor out of
your Oolong, tea friend meeting,
when you have time to kill

Convenience - medium
Occasion - when you are working but still
want to drink a nice cup of Oolong. Kam
likes to make a big mug of Oolong in a
couple of brews and drink it throughout the
day in office.

GaiWan (small)
Tea ware - porcelain GaiWan <=
4oz, teacups
Tea class - ALL, ok for Oolong
Convenience - medium
Occasion - casual tea friend
meetings, or non tea friend
meetings.

The Casual & Other Methods

These are done purely for the sake of making Chinese tea to drink. Period. No one would
demonstrate these in front of you and make a fuss about them - just like you wouldn't show
a friend how to turn on a TV and expect a round of applause.

GaiWan (Large) or Porcelain

Teacup
Tea ware - GaiWan>4oz

Glass
Tea ware - water glass, it's ok if it's
got Winnie the Pooh printed on it. Kam

sometimes use a Bodum coffee press

for convenience.
Tea class - Green, ALL other teas OK

Tea class - best for green, flower,

ALL other teas are ok

Convenience - high

Convenience - super high

Occasion - in upscale restaurants,

friend meetings, wedding ceremonies
(served by younger generation to
older to show respect)

Occasion - when you have only 3

minutes

Teapot says "don't click me. There is no link here!"

Porcelain Teapot

Kettle
Tea ware - kettle, bowl

Tea ware - porcelain teapot

Tea class - ALL, usually used for low grade teas.

Tea class - compressed tea

Convenience - super high

Convenience - high
Occasion - Dim-Summing in Chinese restaurants; in a casual meeting - too
little time, too many friends

Occasion - everyday serving for

southern western Chinese (e.g.
Tibetans)

There is no detailed web page for this method. You

simply infuse whenever you like and pour whenever you
like. You don't care if the tea gets bitter because you are
too busy eating Dim Sum. Tea is simply not the prime
concern here.

* Because of difference in tea quality and individual preference with flavor thickness,
the following data should be taken as a general guideline only. Don't forget to
experiment.
1st=first choice
ok=also ok
not=not ok

Kind of
Chinese Tea
Oolong

Iron Guan
Yin

Brewing
Method
1st- kungfu sm
ok- gaiwan sm

1st- kungfu sm
ok- gaiwan sm

water : dry tea

(by weight)

Kam's
Suggested
qty.
Brewing Time & Remarks
4:1
1st round 60 sec. add 15, 25, 35 ... etc
for infusions after, some drinkers would
use up to 2:1 tea leaves, it's up to your
own preference.
4:1
1st round 60 sec. add 15, 25, 35 ... etc
for infusions after, some drinkers would
use up to 2:1 tea leaves, it's up to your

own preference.
Hottest water possible. Needs high
temperature to brew.1st round 60 sec.
add 15, 25, 35 ... etc for infusions after.
This is a favorite dim sum restaurant
tea in Hong Kong. Can be brewed in a
bigger teapot and left standing for a
longer period, like half an hour or so.
Very casual tea. Whatever teapot,
whatever cup, whatever brewing is
fine.
Remove stalk, crush bud before
brewing. Again, whatever teapot,
whatever cup, whatever brewing is
fine.
No boiling water. 180-190F is good. Do
not use YiXing teapots for as high water
temperature over brews DW. Use a
regular glass. 120 seconds for 1st
round, 240 for 2nd, 360 for 3rd. The
taste drops off quickly after the 2nd
round. Spring tea of Dragon is more
forgiving on tea quantity and brewing
time.
It's another casual tea. Whatever
teapot, whatever cup, whatever
brewing is fine.
Please follow regular glass/ceramic
brewing procedure.

Lone Bush

1st- kungfu sm
ok- kungfu big
gaiwan sm

10:1

Longevity
Eyebrow

ok- porcelain tp
glass
gaiwan lrg

30:1

Jasmine

ok- porcelain tp
glass
gaiwan lrg

70:1

ok- glass
gaiwan lrg

100:1

Dragon Well

1st- glass
ok- gaiwan lrg
not- kungfu

50:1

Dragon Ball

ok- glass
gaiwan lrg

35:1

Fur Tip

ok- gaiwan
gaiwan lrg
glass

50:1

Spring Snail

ok- gaiwan
gaiwan lrg
glass

50:1

Please follow regular glass/ceramic

brewing procedure.

Tian Red

ok- glass
gaiwan lrg
kungfu

50:1

Lychee Red

ok-glass
gaiwan lrg

70:1

Tuo

Not sure. If a YiXing

teapot is not ok
enough to extract
the flavor, use a
kettle.

50:1

Pu'er

ok- porcelain tp
glass
gaiwan lrg
for compressed tea
version of Pu'er,
kettle is the best but
others are fine

70:1

Heard that this red could be brewed the

Kung Fu Cha way. But that could result
in a very strong tea. It's up to your own
experiment.
Just a glass and a little bit of tea will do.
1-2 min. of brewing and it's all ready.
Not very demand on brewing
procedure. Just a casual bit of tea
leaves and hot water will do. No
stopwatch needed as you can leave it
standing for a long time.
This is another favorite dim sum
restaurant tea. Can be brewed in a
bigger teapot and left standing for a
longer period if you don't mind it gets
too dark. For Pu'er compressed tea, boil
with a kettle.

Rose

What's a Good Cup O Chinese Tea?

So how do I know I have:
good quality Chinese tea leaves?
made a good cup of Chinese tea? Or a bad cup of Chinese tea?

There is no one single Chinese tea that can give you all these
pleasure but we can have them all on one list:
Gan, or even better, Hui Gan.
Flavor
Smoothness in the mouth after drinking
Aroma
Color
Sang Jin

Attributes to
Look for in a
Good Cup O
Chinese tea

They are not listed in order of importance as your personal preference is king. No one
can tell you you should like flavor over aroma, etc., etc.
Some, if not all, of these attributes come with the Chinese tea you are brewing, and you
have to brew it right so you don't kill any of them in the brewing process.

Bitterness

"Bitterness" means a bad cup of tea right? Yes and No.

There are 3 types of bitterness described by Chinese, of which
2 are no good and 1 is heavenly. It's hard to tell in English but
here is Kam's attempt (follow links to jargon page):

Type

Mandarin
Pronunciati
on
Description

Plain
Bitter

"Ku"

Could be the original taste of certain kinds of tea like

Pu'er. Or could be too much tea leaves used in the
process. Or could be the result of slight overbrewing.

Rough
Bitter

"Se"

This is a result of bad overbrewing. Recommend to throw

the cup of tea out or the Se taste will ruin your taste
buds, and your tea day.

Minty
Bitter

"Gan"

Although the attributes are not ranked, lots of Chinese

tea drinkers pay for this Gan thing, and big bucks for
Hui Gan (recurring Gan). So you can guess this is the
heavenly attribute most tea drinkers are looking for in a
good cup of tea.

There are 2 sides to the flavor attribute.

Flavor

Side 1 is richer vs. thinner. Richer is always better than thinner. If you have good tea
leaves but you are getting tea that tastes more like water than tea, it's likely you have
used a shorter-than-enough brew time, or lower-than-enough water temperature, or the
wrong brewing process.
Side 2 is heavier vs. lighter. But heavier is not necessarily better. Fully fermented teas
have heavier flavor while less fermented teas have lighter flavor. It's just the way the
teas are.

Smoothness

Smoothness is one of the attributes that make Chinese tea

expensive but it's not a determining factor. Some teas are simply not the smooth type
no matter how pricey they are.
If you have a supposedly smooth tea, watch your brew time (don't overbrew) and water
temperature (don't be too hot) and you will be fine.

This is another attribute that tea drinkers seek for. It's not
necessarily the thicker the better. The tea should smell fresh
and natural as well, both before and after brewing.

Aroma

You can't go very wrong brewing aromatic tea. Unless you have a flu, the aroma stays
even if your overbrew (it doesn't taste good though).

Color is something to appreciate during the tea drinking

process.

Color

Choose the right cup to brew your tea. Say, a white cup for Tie Guan Tin to show against
the background, a glass for green Dragon Well to dance around and you will be able to
enjoy your Chinese tea to the fullest.

Sang Jin

Ha, mandarin again. Here is what it means. It's wonderful to

feel the tea still working an hour after you finish drinking it.
Just don't overbrew your tea so it gets Se because Se tea definitely won't Sang Jin.