In the global tea culture, our country's tea culture is one of the most important parts, and China can be said to be one of the earliest countries where tea culture emerged.

Although China is a major producer and consumer of tea, many people are still unfamiliar with the categories and representative products of tea. Currently, most tea professionals are accustomed to classifying teas based on processing techniques, which is what we commonly refer to as the "Six Major Tea Categories": Green Tea, Black Tea, Oolong Tea (Blue Tea), Dark Tea, White Tea, and Yellow Tea. Products made by reprocessing these basic tea categories are collectively called reprocessed teas, mainly including scented tea, fruit-flavored tea, medicinal health teas, etc.

Green Tea

Green tea is the most produced category in China, accounting for about 80% of the world's green tea trade volume. The basic processing steps for green tea are fixation, rolling, and drying. Fixation methods include heat fixation and steam fixation; green tea made by steam fixation is called "steamed green tea." Drying varies based on the final method: pan-drying, oven-drying, or sun-drying. Green tea that is finally pan-dried is called "pan-fired green tea," oven-dried is called "baked green tea," and sun-dried is called "sun-dried green tea." Representative products: West Lake Longjing, Huangshan Maofeng, Dongting Biluochun, Nanjing Yuhua Tea, etc.

Black Tea

The basic processing steps for black tea are withering, rolling, fermentation, and drying. The quality characteristics of black tea—red liquor and red leaves—are primarily formed through "fermentation." The essence of fermentation is the oxidation of originally colorless polyphenols in the tea leaves, catalyzed by polyphenol oxidase, forming red oxidative polymers known as black tea pigments. Part of this pigment is soluble in water, creating the red tea liquor after brewing, while the insoluble part accumulates in the leaves, turning them red. This is how black tea achieves its red liquor and red leaves. Representative products: Zhengshan Xiaozhong, Qimen Black Tea, Dianhong, Sichuan Black Tea, Jin Junmei, Tanyang Gongfu, etc.

Oolong Tea (Blue Tea)

Oolong tea, also known as Blue Tea, is a semi-fermented tea. It is between non-fermented tea (green tea) and fully fermented tea (black tea), with a bluish-brown appearance. After brewing, oolong tea leaves show both red and green colors. Traditionally processed oolong tea has green centers and red edges, often praised as "green leaves with red borders." The liquor is yellowish-red, with a natural floral aroma, rich taste, and a unique charm. Oolong tea is mainly produced in Fujian, Guangdong, and Taiwan. Due to varietal differences, it is categorized into Northern Fujian Oolong, Southern Fujian Oolong, Guangdong Oolong, and Taiwan Oolong.

Representative products: Tieguanyin, Wuyi Rock Tea, Phoenix Dancong, Dongding Oolong, etc. Among these, the picking and processing techniques of Wuyi Rock Tea are key to determining its quality. The roasting process of rock tea is meticulous. After fresh leaves arrive at the factory, they undergo several main steps: sun-withering → indoor-withering → shaking/tumbling (including shaking and hand manipulation) → fixation → initial rolling → second fixation → second rolling → first baking → winnowing and fanning → spreading and cooling → sorting → second baking → slow baking → crude tea → further winnowing and sorting → moisture replenishment → finished product, etc.

The picking standard for rock tea differs from general black and green teas. It must wait until the new shoots develop to the "stationary bud" stage (commonly called "open leaf") before picking three to four leaves. Picking too early results in low aroma and bitter taste; picking too late leads to weak flavor and coarse aroma.

For good varieties and famous cultivars, picking on rainy days or with dew is avoided as much as possible. Tea leaves from different varieties, different rock areas, sunny/shady slopes, and varying moisture levels should not be mixed to facilitate the initial processing.

Dark Tea

The basic processing steps for dark tea are fixation, rolling, pile-fermentation, and drying. Dark tea generally uses coarser raw materials, and the pile-fermentation process during manufacturing is often lengthy, resulting in dark brown or blackish leaves, hence the name "dark tea." Previously, dark tea was mainly supplied to ethnic minorities in border regions, so it is also called "border-sale tea." Dark rough tea is the primary raw material for pressing various compressed teas. Various compressed dark teas are daily necessities for ethnic groups such as Tibetans, Mongolians, and Uyghurs, with the saying, "Better to go without food for a day than without tea for a day."

Representative products: Yunnan Pu-erh Tea, Hunan Dark Tea, Hubei Old Green Tea, Guangxi Liupao Tea, Sichuan Border Tea, etc.

White Tea

White tea is a lightly fermented tea. The basic process involves withering and then sun-drying or oven-drying. White tea often uses varieties with many fine hairs on the buds and leaves, such as Fuding Da Bai Cha. The buds are robust and hairy, resulting in finished tea covered with white hairs, very elegant, with a light liquor color and a fresh, mellow taste. White tea is mainly produced in Fuding, Zhenghe, Songxi, and Jianyang in Fujian Province.

Representative products: Baihao Yinzhen, White Peony, etc.

Yellow Tea

The processing steps for yellow tea are fixation, rolling, yellowing (menhuang), and drying. The quality characteristic of yellow tea is "yellow liquor and yellow leaves," which results from the pile-yellowing process during manufacturing.

Representative products: Mengding Huangya, Huangshan Huangya, Junshan Yinzhen, etc.