The “Ten Famous Teas” of China

By Andrew Gadsden

April 1st, 2009
Posted in Beginner's Guides to Tea, Chinese Tea

You may already have come across the Ten Famous Teas of China.  The list is not quite as set in stone as you might think.  Different authors throughout time have given slightly different lists.  But here is the list given by the Chinese Tea Culture Research Centre, with my notes.

The Ten Famous Teas of China.

1.   Xi Hu Long Jing (Lung Ching) (Dragon Well)

• Means West Lake Dragon Well.
• From Xi Hu, Zhejiang Province
• Plucked once a year between 20 Mar and 20 Apr.
• This tea is top of every version of the list of ten famous teas.

2.  Qi Men Hong (Keemun) (black)

• From Qimen County of Huangshan Shi in the Anhui Province.  The name Keemun is simply the English version of Qimen.
• The first black tea produced in Anhui (1875), it achieved rapid success in England when it became one of the constituents of the English Breakfast blend.
• It is usually described as having a quite distinct smoky and fruity taste.
• AAT stocks two fantastic loose-leaf Keemun teas – Mao Feng Keemun and Keemun Orchid.

3.  Pi Lo Chun (green) (Bi Luo Chun) (Spring Snail)

• Originally grown in Dong Ting mountain of Tai Hu, Jiangsu Province.
• Now also produced in other parts of Jiangsu Province as well as Zhejiang Province and Sichuan Province.
• Delicate, fruity, floral, plucked in early Spring. The leaf is meant to resemble a snail.  It sort of does…
• 1kg of Dong Ting Pi Lo Chun contains 14,000 – 15,000 shoots.
• AAT also offers a fabulous Bi Luo Chun from Formosa (Taiwan).

4.  Ti Kuan Yin Oolong (Tieguanyin)

• From An Xi, Fujian Province.
• Iron Goddess of Mercy.  Often very floral and/or fruity

5.  Junshan Yingzhen (Junshan Silver Needles) (yellow)

• From Junshan Island, Dongting Lake, Hunan Province, a flood-basin of the Yangtze River.
• The tea bushes all grow on Junshan Island and the leaf buds are plucked by hand while still unopened.  This is a Yellow tea.  It is similar to green and white tea, but with an additional step during processing.  After steaming to denature the enzymes, the tea is left under mats for the flavours to develop in the absence of air.  The result is a tea with a sweeter, richer flavour than green tea, with a character sometimes described as smoky.

6.  Huang Shan Mao Feng (green) (Fur Peak)

• Means Huang Mountain (Anhui Province)
• Huang Mountain’s clouds and mists are beautiful, and so is the superb tea that the region produces.  Tender tips are hand-plucked and brew a golden colour with a mellow, sweet finish. A prized spring tea in China.

7.  Puerh

• The famous speciality of the Yunnan Province.  A unique aged tea with a strong, earthy flavour.

8.  Tai Ping Hou Kui (Green) (Monkey King)

• From Tai Ping, Anhui Province.

9.  Lu An Gua Pian (Green) (Melon Seed)

• From Lu An, Anhui Province.
• Grows on the Qi Tou Shan (Mountain).  Made without buds or stems and processed by pan-frying just 100g at a time.

10.  Xin Yang Mao Jian (Green) (Fur Tip)

• From Xin Yang, Henan Province.
• Grown in very small quantities in the Guizhou province.
• The delicate buds are covered in a golden white down and give a soft, sweetly aromatic infusion.

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Contact Andrew Gadsden at andrew@allabouttea.co.uk

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