Ancient Chinese — Lu Yu's Classic of Tea (Tang dynasty, 760 AD) codified the system
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.
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
{"Oxidation level determines character: green = fresh grassy; white = delicate floral; yellow = mellow sweet; oolong = complex floral-toasty; black = malty rich; pu-erh = earthy aged","Water temperature critical: green and white teas 70–80°C; oolong 85–90°C; black and pu-erh 95–100°C","Steep times: green 1–2 min; white 3–5 min; oolong multiple short steeps (30s–1 min); pu-erh rinse first, then 30s–2 min","Multiple infusions: most quality Chinese teas yield 3–8 infusions; each changes character"}
{"Gongfu cha (功夫茶) — the formal tea ceremony method — uses small teapots (30–100ml) and rapid successive infusions, allowing the tea to open gradually","Pre-warming the teapot and cups is not ceremony for ceremony's sake — cold vessels drop water temperature critically","The rinse (xǐ chá): first infusion discarded to remove any dust and open the leaf — particularly important for compressed pu-erh"}
{"Boiling water on green tea — destroys delicate aromatics and creates bitterness","Single infusion mentality — Chinese teas are designed for multiple steeps","Ignoring water quality — hard water with chlorine fundamentally changes tea flavour"}
The Classic of Tea (Lu Yu); Tea Horse Road — various sources; Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper — Fuchsia Dunlop