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Beverage Terroir · VI The Beverage Tradition

Chinese Tea Classification System (中国茶叶分类)

‹ The Beverage Tradition

I

Origin

Ancient Chinese — Lu Yu's Classic of Tea (Tang dynasty, 760 AD) codified the system

II

Description

China produces six fundamental categories of tea, all from the same plant (Camellia sinensis), differentiated by oxidation level and processing: Green (unoxidised — Longjing, Biluochun), White (minimal processing — Bai Hao Yin Zhen), Yellow (slight oxidation — Junshan Yinzhen), Oolong (partial oxidation — Tieguanyin, Da Hong Pao), Black/Red (full oxidation — Keemun, Dianhong), and Dark/Pu-erh (microbial fermentation — Sheng and Shou). Understanding this framework is essential for pairing tea with Chinese food.

III

The Thread

—Japanese tea classification (gyokuro, sencha, matcha — all green, different processing)
—European wine appellation system (terroir and processing define character)
—French cheese aging categories (processing level determines character)
IV

Flavour Context

Each category occupies a different flavour universe: green teas = fresh, vegetal, marine; white = honey, peach, melon; oolong = flowers, stone fruit, toast; pu-erh = earth, forest floor, aged leather

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