Understanding Asian tea must begin with an understanding of
China. But that's not as simple as it sounds.
To begin with, you need to know that not all
Chinese drink the same kind of tea, nor do they all
use teapots. Let's take a journey.
North China: If you have the opportunity to travel to
northern China, you will likely be served jasmine
green tea, often in a lidded mug. From the Forbidden
City in Bejing to the sleeper cars on China's railways,
jasmine green tea is ubiquitous. It's the most
popular tea for
northern Chinese. But with increased prosperity,
urbanites are now exploring great teas of all kinds
from all over China.
South/Southeast China: As you head south towards
Shanghai, unscented green tea takes over. East
central China produces an infinite number of green
teas, and you can spend a lifetime seeking them out.
Shanghai has shops with the greatest variety of
choices. Hangzhou is famous for its
Long Jing or
"Dragon Well" green tea.
If you journey to southeast China, to Fujian or Taiwan,
you'll discover that people are proud of their
oolong
teas brewed in the “gong fu” style with tiny unglazed
clay teapots and cups. Men often make tea this way
on tables set up along sidewalks, as they play cards
and talk in the evenings. Taiwan has a highly
developed tea culture with refined teahouses in the
heart of cities and rustic teahouses located in
mountain tea fields.
Pu Er Tea: In southern and southwestern China, earthy tasting Pu Er tea is commonly drunk, especially
in restaurants. Because it is believed to help digest
food (especially oily food) Pu Er is commonly served
in Hong Kong/Cantonese dim sum restaurants,
another of the many fun Chinese tea traditions. A few
blossoms of dried Chinese chrysanthemum are often
added to the Pu Er to liven up the taste. Remember, if
your teapot needs replenishing of hot water, just turn
the lid upside down or place it on the table. The waiter
will know what to do. Also, after the tea is poured into
your cup, you can show thanks by tapping your
fingers on the table next to the cup.
Eight Treasure Tea: Tea steeped with other
ingredients is also popular throughout China. One of
the most famous teas is "Ba Bao Cha" or "Eight
Treasure Tea," which is made with green tea, red
dates, dried Longan fruit, dried chrysanthemum
flowers, red wolfberries, raisins, rock sugar, and
sometimes other ingredients. Ba Bao Cha is a sweet
drink and believed to have many medicinal benefits.
Ask a Chinese friend about it.
Lei Cha: Another unique custom found in
mountainous areas of southern China and Taiwan, is
"Lei Cha" or "Pestle Tea." The name refers to the
mortar and pestle used to pound tea, peanuts,
sesame seeds, toasted rice, and sometimes ginger
mixture and made into a beverage by adding boiling
water. This is an ancient tea custom dating back to
possibly the 3rd century AD. Lei Cha is especially
popular with Hakka Chinese, a sub-ethnic group
found mostly in southeast China and Taiwan.
Tea Mugs/Teapots: Chinese people don't always
have a teapot on hand to make tea. Throughout
China, it's common to see people drinking tea from
glass jars in which leaves are thrown in the bottom
and replenished with hot water throughout the day.
Sometimes, tea is simply tossed into the bottom of a
wide cup, covered with hot water, and allowed to
steep. At more formal settings, a tea set is brought
out for the "Chinese tea ceremony." In Taiwan, most
families have a “gong fu” tea set which consists of a
very small teapot, a small decanting pitcher, and
several tiny, handle less cups. The teapot is filled 1/3
full with oolong tea, brewed for about one minute,
decanted, and then served. The tea can be infused
numerous times, with progressively longer steeping
times.
Teahouses: Teahouses, which had been closed
down after the Communist revolution in 1949, have
now begun to reappear in China. In large cities like
Beijing and Shanghai, fashionable teahouses serving
all types of teas have become popular gathering
places for the newly rich, and Chinese tea traditions
have begun to undergo a renaissance. Taiwan tea
growers have also begun tea operations in mainland
China, and Taiwanese opened the first artistic
teahouses in China as well. And so today, Chinese
tea is improving in quality and teahouses are once
again becoming a part of Chinese life. That's good
news for everybody.
Family Customs: Finally a word on family customs.
When a couple gets married, tea serves a symbolic
purpose, for the couple is expected to serve tea to
their parents as a sign of thanks for raising them.
Cups of tea are also set out before the family shrine
or in temples as offerings. And tea is always served
as a part of socializing with friends, neighbors,
business associates, or relatives. Tea is to the
Chinese what wine or coffee is to Europeans.
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