Based on their degree of fermentation, teas can be divided into six categories: Green Tea, white tea, Yellow Tea, Oolong Tea (qingcha), Black Tea, and dark tea.
Hubei has a long history of tea production and is one of the few provinces that produces all six types of tea. In 2025, the total area of tea plantations in the province reached 5.74 million mu, with a total output of 449,000 tons, an agricultural value of 23.5 billion yuan, and export value of 195 million US dollars, ranking 4th, 3rd, 5th, and 4th respectively nationwide. The comprehensive value reached 85.5 billion yuan.
Hubei has been known since ancient times as the “Land of Fish and Rice.” The abundance of natural resources has also given rise to many unique local delicacies across the province, ranging from crispy, chewy, glutinous, sweet, and savory options – you name it.
When guests come, tea is served like wine. A pot of tea and some small snacks, for meeting friends or sitting quietly, is a kind of enjoyment. Snacks are like dishes at a drinking table, adding a different warmth to tea.
Tea and snacks together carry the emotions and memories of the people of Hubei, becoming the most precious treasure on this land.
Green tea, black tea, oolong tea, dark tea, white tea, yellow tea
Crispy, chewy, glutinous, sweet, savory
How should the six types of tea be paired with snacks?
A Quick Guide to Pairing Hubei's Six Types of Tea with Snacks
Green Tea – Sweet with Green
Representative Teas: Enshi Jade Dew, Wudang Mountain Tea, Yichang Maojian, Xiangyang High-Aroma Tea, Yingshan Cloud Mist Tea, etc.
The taste of green tea is mostly fresh and elegant with a floral aroma, but there is a slight bitterness, making it suitable to pair with fresh and slightly sweet snacks, which can both moderate the bitterness and not overpower the tea flavor.
Wuhan's Caoxiangtai and Wangyuxia's traditional green bean cakes, and Osmanthus cakes from Xianning, the “Osmanthus Capital of China,” are excellent choices.
White Tea – Light with White
Representative Teas: Xuan'an White Tea, Wild White Tea, etc.
White tea is a lightly fermented tea with a fresh and refreshing fragrance, rich in honey, jujube, and downy aromas, and a mellow taste. The soup color is transparent and light. It is suitable to pair with fresh, non-greasy, and sweet snacks.
Rice cakes made from Hubei rice and yam cakes made from Lichuan's renowned yams are perfect examples of using local ingredients.
Dark Tea – Meat with Dark
Representative Teas: Chibi Brick Tea, Fu Brick Tea, etc.
When pairing dark tea with snacks, there's no need to be as restrained as with green tea; you can use some sweet and fatty snacks. Dark tea has a strong flavor and effectively cuts through grease, often inducing a feeling of hunger when consumed. Snacks that are higher in calories and contain some oil complement the tea well.
A sip of flavorful and refreshing brick tea, followed by spicy and numbing small fish from the Three Gorges or “Zaobei Yellow Beef” from Xiangyang – who says there's no “martial world” spirit in tea?
Black Tea – Sour with Red
Representative Teas: Yihong Gongfu tea, Lichuan Red, Xiaogan Red, Xiangyang Red, etc.
Black tea has a sweet taste and is suitable to pair with slightly sour snacks. The combination of sour and sweet adds a more complex and interesting layer of flavors, also mitigating the potential cloying effect of high fragrance.
Yichang honey tangerines, Enshi tribute water white pomelos, Chibi kiwis, Yangxin loquats, and other fresh fruits paired with black tea create a delicious interplay of sweet and sour.
Oolong Tea – Nuts with Oolong
Representative Teas: Tongshan Highland Oolong Tea (Taiping Mountain Oolong Tea), Xianfeng Oolong Tea
Oolong tea has a rich taste, ranging from light to highly fragrant, and is refreshing. It is suitable to pair with nuts such as melon seeds, walnuts, almonds, and pistachios, which have a slightly salty taste, so they do not overpower the tea's aroma and help quench thirst.
