Famous tea is the favorite of tea lovers. China produces a wide variety of teas, and today we will introduce you to some of China's famous teas.

Huangshan Maofeng

Quality characteristics: Huangshan Maofeng is divided into special grade and grades one, two, and three. Special grade Huangshan Maofeng is harvested around the Qingming Festival, picking one bud and one leaf in the early stage, while other grades pick one bud and one or two leaves or one bud and two or three leaves. Special grade Huangshan Maofeng resembles sparrow tongues, with white hairs visible, an ivory-like color, and golden fish leaves. After brewing, the tea soup is clear, with a fresh, rich, and sweet taste, and the leaves are tender yellow and plump. The 'golden fish leaves' and 'ivory-like color' are two distinctive features that set special grade Huangshan Maofeng apart from other Maofeng teas.

When drinking Huangshan Maofeng, it is best to brew it with water at around 80°C, using a glass or white porcelain cup. Generally, it can be brewed 2-3 times. If brewed with Huangshan spring water, the tea soup will not leave stains in the cup even after overnight.

Dongting Biluochun

Quality characteristics: The tea strips are slender, curled into spirals, covered with fine hairs, and have a silver-white hue with hidden green. The aroma is fresh and elegant, the taste is mellow and sweet, with a long aftertaste. The tea soup is clear and green, and the leaves are tender green and bright. It is known for its 'one tenderness (bud and leaf) and three freshness (color, aroma, and taste).' Local tea farmers describe Biluochun as: 'copper wire strips, spiral shape, covered with hairs, floral and fruity fragrance, fresh and refreshing.'

When drinking, first place the tea leaves in a transparent glass cup, add a small amount of hot water to moisten the leaves, and then fill the cup after the leaves have unfolded. For a moment, the cup will resemble snowflakes flying, with 'white clouds rolling and snowflakes dancing.' The sight is pleasing, the fragrance is refreshing, and holding it in your hands feels like holding a precious craft, making it hard to put down.

West Lake Longjing

Quality characteristics: Longjing tea has a flat and straight appearance, with a green and emerald color. It is renowned for its 'four wonders': emerald color, rich fragrance, sweet taste, and beautiful shape.

When brewing Longjing tea, take a glass cup and pour in water at around 80°C. You will see the tea buds floating up like water lilies, elegant and charming. The tea soup is green, the aroma is fresh and high, and the taste is sweet and mellow, making it a divine tea.

Taiping Houkui

Quality characteristics: Taiping Houkui has unique features in color, aroma, taste, and shape, with a 'gathering of swords and spears, dragons flying and phoenixes dancing' style. Each tea consists of two leaves holding one bud, flat and straight, without scattering, curling, or bending, commonly known as 'two knives and one spear.' It is often described as 'Houkui with pointed ends, not scattering, curling, or bending.' The leaves are dark green and moist, with hidden red veins, known as 'red silk threads.' The whole body is covered with white hairs, hidden but not exposed. When brewed, the buds and leaves form clusters, floating or sinking in the clear and tender green tea soup, resembling little monkeys making faces.

The taste is fragrant and refreshing, with a rich and lingering aftertaste. You can experience the意境 of 'first brew with high fragrance, second brew with strong taste, and third and fourth brews still fragrant.' It has a unique 'monkey charm.'

Keemun Black Tea

Quality characteristics: The tea strips are tight and slender, with visible buds and hairs, and a dark and moist color. The tea has a lasting fragrance, resembling both fruit and orchid aromas. In the international tea market, this aroma is specifically called 'Keemun fragrance.' The tea soup is bright red and transparent, and the leaves are bright red. The taste is mellow and rich, with a long aftertaste.

Keemun Black Tea can be brewed alone or mixed with milk and sugar, maintaining its aromatic flavor. The British particularly love Keemun Black Tea. In the London market, it is considered a 'hero' among teas. Whenever new Keemun Black Tea arrives, people compete to buy it, believing that 'in the fragrance of Chinese tea, they discover the aroma of spring.' Even the British royal family takes pride in owning Keemun Black Tea and uses it to celebrate the queen's birthday, earning it the reputation of 'intoxicating all fragrances.'

Lu'an Guapian

Quality characteristics: The shape resembles melon seeds, without buds or stems, naturally flat and slightly curled at the edges. The color is emerald green, with a white frost, a fresh and high fragrance, and a sweet and refreshing taste. The tea soup is clear and bright, and the leaves are tender green and bright. Lu'an Guapian is divided into名片 and grades 1-4, with名片 being the best.

Lu'an Guapian not only quenches thirst and relieves heat but also has strong digestive and medicinal effects. Ming Dynasty's Wen Long mentioned in 'Tea Notes' that Lu'an tea is the most effective for medicinal purposes, making it a treasure.

Enshi Yulu

Quality characteristics: Enshi Yulu is a rare traditional steamed green tea in China. It is made from fresh leaves with dark green color, one bud and one leaf or one bud and two leaves, steamed to stop fermentation. Its quality features include tight, thin, and straight strips, with visible white hairs and a dark green color, resembling pine needles. The tea soup is clear and bright, with a fresh fragrance, a mellow and refreshing taste, and tender green leaves.

Junshan Yinzhen

Quality characteristics: Junshan has a long history of tea production, famous since the Tang Dynasty. Because the tea is covered with fine hairs and has a golden base, it was once called 'yellow feather hair.' The finished tea has strong buds, uniform in size, with an orange-yellow interior and a layer of white hairs, earning it the elegant name 'gold inlaid with jade.' The buds also resemble silver needles, hence the name Junshan Yinzhen.

When brewed, the tea initially rises to the top, then slowly sinks, rising and falling three times, creating a spectacle. The taste is fresh and fragrant, leaving a lasting impression.

Tieguanyin

Quality characteristics: High-quality Tieguanyin has tightly rolled and plump strips, evenly weighted. Premium tea is tighter and heavier than ordinary tea. When a small amount is placed in a teapot, it makes a 'clinking' sound, with a crisp sound indicating high quality and a dull sound indicating lower quality. The finished tea has a fresh and moist color, with a sandy green hue and bright red spots, covered with white frost. After brewing, the tea soup is golden and clear, and the leaves are thick and bright (a characteristic of Tieguanyin is the curved back of the leaves), with a satin-like luster. The tea soup has a strong and unique fragrance, lasting and refreshing. As the ancients said, 'before tasting the sweet dew, first smell the divine fragrance.' Take a sip, and the taste is rich and sweet; swallow slowly, and the aftertaste is endless.

Xinyang Maojian

Quality characteristics: Xinyang Maojian is of high quality, with thin, straight, and uniform strips, visible buds, and a green color covered with white hairs. The tea soup is tender green and bright, with a fresh and high fragrance, and the leaves are tender green and bright, fine and even. The special grade unfolds into one bud and one leaf in the early stage.

Yunnan Pu'er Tea

Quality characteristics: The buds and leaves are thick, with yellow-green leaves and red spots and stems. The strips are thick and strong, covered with dense white hairs. The aroma is high and lasting, with a unique fragrance characteristic of Yunnan large-leaf tea. The taste is strong and stimulating; it is耐泡, maintaining its fragrance after five or six brews. The tea soup is dark red, with a unique aged fragrance, and the taste is pure and sweet.

Dongding Oolong

Quality characteristics: Dongding Oolong is a lightly semi-fermented tea. Dongding is the mountain name, and Oolong is the variety name. Dongding tea is of excellent quality and holds a leading position in the Taiwanese tea market. The premium tea has tightly rolled and curved strips, with a dark green and bright color, and gray-white spots resembling frog skin. The dry tea has a strong fragrance; after brewing, the tea soup is slightly orange-yellow, with a clear fragrance similar to osmanthus. The taste is fresh and active, with a sweet and lingering aftertaste. The leaves have red edges and a light green center.