What are the six major teas?

1. Green tea

Green tea is an unfermented tea with a fermentation degree of 0. The production of green tea requires picking the fresh leaves of the tea tree, drying, greening, shaping, and other processes before it can be completed. Dry tea and tea soup are mostly green, yellow-green, etc.; the tea soup is clear and has a mellow taste. Green tea has a wide range of origins, and is produced in many provinces such as Henan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Sichuan.

The more famous green teas include: West Lake Longjing, Xinyang Maojian, Dongting Biluochun, etc.

2. White tea

White tea is an unfermented tea with a fermentation degree of 5-10%. White tea is a traditional tea created by Chinese tea farmers. The finished tea is mostly buds, mostly pekoe, so it is called white tea. The production of white tea is quite special. After picking the fresh leaves, they are not cured, but are only dried and processed. The mature tea buds are relatively complete, the pekoe are exposed, and the aroma is overflowing; the soup is clear, generally yellow-green, with a light taste and a strong sweet aftertaste.

The main producing areas of white tea are concentrated in Fuding, Zhenghe, Fujian, and Jinggu, Yunnan. The more famous white teas include: Baihao Yinzhen, White Mudan, Shoumei, Fuding Dabaicha, etc.

3. Yellow tea

Yellow tea is a lightly fermented tea with a fermentation degree of 10-20%. The name yellow tea comes from "yellow leaves and yellow soup", that is, both dry tea and tea soup are yellow in color. According to the size of its fresh leaves, old buds and leaves, it is divided into yellow bud tea, yellow small tea and yellow big tea. The production process is similar to that of green tea, except that a "boring yellow" process is added. This is the key to making yellow tea and the main process to create the "yellow leaves and yellow soup" of yellow tea.

The dry tea of ??yellow tea is yellow-brown or yellow-green, the tea soup is orange-yellow, and the taste is sweet and refreshing. Yellow tea is produced in Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Guangdong and other provinces. The more famous ones include Junshan Yinzhen, Mengding Huangya, Weishan Maojian, etc.

4. Green tea (oolong tea)

Green tea, commonly known as oolong tea, is a semi-fermented tea with a fermentation degree of 15-70%. The predecessor of green tea can be traced back to the Dragon and Phoenix Group Tea of ??the Song Dynasty, which was created during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty. After the fresh leaves are picked, they need to go through processes such as withering, shaking, frying, and baking to make green tea. There are many kinds of green tea, with different tea shapes and colors, fragrant aroma and sweet aftertaste, which are highly fragrant teas.

The production areas of green tea are relatively concentrated, mainly in Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan. The more famous ones include Tieguanyin, Wuyi Rock Tea (Dahongpao), Phoenix Dancong, Guangdong Dayeqing, Dongding Oolong, etc.

5. Black tea

Black tea is a fully fermented tea with a fermentation degree of 70-90%. The difference between black tea and other teas is that its tea polyphenols are reduced by more than 90%, resulting in components such as theaflavins and thearubigins. Black tea is very rich in variety, second only to green tea in quantity.

The process of black tea is also relatively cumbersome, requiring picking, withering, fermentation, baking, re-baking, etc. However, due to its high degree of fermentation, the aroma substances are also significantly increased. Black tea, as the name suggests, has the characteristics of red leaves and red soup. It has a rich and mellow taste and is often used as afternoon tea.

Black tea has many origins. Basically, wherever green tea is produced, black tea is produced. The more famous varieties include: Lapsang Souchong, Jinjunmei, Qihong, Dianhong, Yinghong, etc.

6. Dark tea

Dark tea is a post-fermented tea, and the degree of fermentation will change with time. Black tea is named after the black appearance of the tea leaves. The tea making process of dark tea generally includes four processes: greening, kneading, stacking and drying. Different dark teas have different shapes, such as conventional cake tea, Tuocha and other pressed teas, and various loose teas. The main producing areas of dark tea are Sichuan, Yunnan, Hunan, Guangxi and other places.