Almost 40 countries produce more than 3.5 million tons of tea annually. Unconditional leadership in Chinese products, which are practically out of competition. China is in first place in the world in terms of production and in second & ndash; by export volume.
Mainly, green and white varieties of tea, puers and oolongs enter the world market, but there are also black, yellow and red varieties of tea.
So & nbsp; what is Chinese tea & nbsp; and why is it so popular?
Chinese tea can be purchased from our online store
Check out the full range of Chinese tea here.
China Tea Provinces
Eighteen major tea provinces stand out across a vast swath of the country, with the largest number of plantations producing high-end, high-quality and famous teas. Among them:
- Yunnan;
- Anhui;
- Fujian;
- Hunan;
- Zhejiang;
- Guangdong;
- o. Taiwan et al.
It is here that the climatic conditions are most favorable for tea bushes: uniform seasonal temperature, high humidity, abundance of sunlight, alternation of cold nights with foggy mornings and warm days.
Soil saturated with minerals, organic matter and trace elements contributes to the formation of the original taste in the finished tea. Tea production has been established here for thousands of years.
How is tea harvested in China?
Fully manual. There are no automated machines on tea plantations.
Tea pickers go to plantations early in the morning and only pick the top sprouts & ndash; flushes.
Types (non-decayed kidneys) and the first 1-2-3 leaves after it are considered the most valuable.
The leaves below are already rude for elite tea and are sent for processing to obtain medium and low-grade tea products (packaged or brick types of tea).
Collecting tea flushes is painstaking and hard work & ndash; for 1 kg of ready-made brew, you need to run about 4 kg of fresh raw materials. Each kilogram of dry tea has approximately 10,000 flushes, which is at least 10,000 hand movements! And one Chinese picker has a daily plan & ndash; 25 to 35 kg of raw materials.
Expert Opinion
Each tea variety is harvested at a specific time.
A good titester and experienced gourmet in terms of flavor richness, aroma density and infusion color can easily determine spring, summer or autumn gathering.
Spring in almost all varieties (not all!) Is considered the most valuable, because tea bushes settled after winter are characterized by a high concentration of biological substances and essential oils, and tea from spring types is obtained with full taste, exquisite aroma and a sweet aftertaste.
Chinese tea & nbsp; has a wealth of flavors.
And it's not always about the place of growth - sometimes the tea leaf is subjected to additional processing to get a unique taste composition.
For example, leaves are held over smoke from a fire, laying pine, cherry, apricot firewood.
Or flavored with flowers, mixing tea leaves and inflorescences & ndash; during fermentation, the hygroscopic leaf literally draws in any aromas, and then reproduces what is obtained in the drink.
In our online store, you can also buy Chinese tea with various additives: green and black .
Tea in China
In the Middle Kingdom, tea is valued as a therapeutic drink that prolongs human life, cures numerous diseases, gives strength and vigor, helps to clarify the mind and consciousness.
In Chinese culture, family values are lauded, and it is tea that is a symbol of family unification: newlyweds serve it to their parents as a token of gratitude during the wedding ceremony, relatives drink during the commemoration of the deceased, and quarreling friends make peace over a cup or two.
To & nbsp; buy Chinese tea , try and see for yourself its fantastic properties, it is not necessary to go to a distant country: in the online store & laquo; Russian Tea Company & raquo; a full range of tea products is presented & ndash; authentic, high quality, and certainly only from the best plantations.
You won't just like our tea & ndash; it will be love for life. You yourself will not notice how you will absorb the best Chinese tea drinking traditions and awaken true human values.