In each household, you will find Chinese tea pots of many kinds that they use to contain and brew their teas.
Chinese tea pots have a wide variety of designs, not only for beauty, but also for specific use for brewing different teas. Chinese tea pots are not only masterpieces but used for brewing the teas that the Chinese people love to drink. It has been a part of their culture, a profound part of their traditions and customs.
The Chinese, aside from having different kinds of tea pots, also have different classes of teas. They come from different varieties of the Camellia sinensis. They vary in the preparation and processing, thus having different flavors and aromas.
Some would classify Chinese teas into four main categories: green, black, oolong and white. Green teas, however, are the most widely used type of tea in China. Other kinds of Chinese teas include red, compressed, and yellow.
Green tea is the most medicinal among the Chinese teas. It also has the least caffeine content. It is handpicked, dried, and fried briefly to remove its grassy smell, which makes it the most natural among the tea classes. It has a light to medium flavor. The Dragon Well green tea is the most popular tea brewed in favorite Chinese tea pots thoroughout China.
The everyday tea is black tea. Black teas, in contrast, have the highest amount of caffeine among the Chinese teas. It goes through a period of withering and left to ferment for a long time. After fermentation, it is then roasted. It has a mild aroma and a strong taste. One of its health benefits is that it clears out the digestive tract.
The oolong tea is an intermediate of the green and black tea. It is green in the middle and red on the edges because it is semi-fermented. The tea leaves are also withered before undergoing a brief fermentation process after which they are roasted and rolled. It is also called “Qing Cha” (grass tea). It has a mild to medium flavor but if you are a beginner, it can be very strong if you are not careful in preparing it. The oolong tea is the serious Chinese tea drinker’s choice best enjoyed using the right Chinese tea pots. Oolong tea is very healthy because it is found to effectively emulsify fats and cholesterol. It is very popular in south-east China and Taiwan.
Another kind of tea is the white tea which is sometimes considered a subclass of green tea. It is also withered but unlike the green tea which is fried, white tea is roasted. It also has very low caffeine content. The white down of the leaves gives white tea its name.
As for the red teas, they have a medium flavor and low aroma. They are characterized by red leaves and tea color. Red tea is the most oxidized tea among the tea classes. It is usually used in making tea eggs. You can get the most out if the red tea if you brew it using Chinese tea pots.
The yellow tea, on the other hand, is an uncommon type of Chinese tea. It is processed in the same way as the green but its drying phase is slower. The leaves are allowed to turn yellow before they are further processed. It has a stimulating mild flavor.
Flower teas, as the name suggests, come from flowers that are dried. They have light to medium taste and medium to strong aroma. They belong to a unique class of Chinese tea that is more popular in Northern China. It is also called scented tea.
Using black tea as a base, compressed tea are steamed and packed together as bricks, cakes, columns and other forms. They can last for decades if stored properly. Its tamed flavor makes compressed tea lovers pay a high price. It is usually found in west and south-west China. The best way to prepare compressed tea is to boil it, which is an unusual way to do it since tea is brewed in reliable Chinese tea pots.
The classes of teas described are the ones that the Chinese people have high affinity for. These loose leaf teas have delectable tastes that will tickle your palate and have health benefits at the same time.
Drinking tea is more than just a mere tradition. It has been integrated into the core of the Chinese lifestyle. They drink tea several times a day; during meals for good health or simply for pleasure. In any casual or formal occasion, one thing you will never fail to find is the Chinese tea set all full with their blends of Chinese teas.
