According to the available data, the earliest remains of artificially planted tea were found in Yuyao, Zhejiang, that is, Luo Tian site, with a history of more than 6,000 years. Tea drinking began in China. The leaves are leathery, oblong or oval, and can be directly soaked in boiling water. It is divided into six categories according to varieties, production methods and product shapes. According to seasons, it can be divided into spring tea, summer tea, autumn tea and winter tea. Various kinds of crude tea or refined tea are reprocessed to form added tea, including scented tea, pressed tea, extracted tea, medicinal health tea and tea beverage.
Today, tea drinking is not only a traditional food culture, but also helps to prevent aging and has health care function according to scientific research. Moreover, tea contains many vitamins and amino acids. Drinking tea also has a certain effect on clearing oil, relieving boredom, enhancing nerve excitement and promoting digestion and diuresis. But do you know what kinds of tea there are and the processing methods behind them?
First, it is distinguished by brown color.
1. Green tea
In the introduction of tea varieties, the first thing to say is the well-known green tea varieties. Green tea refers to tea that has not been fermented, and is generally fried, baked, dried and steamed. There are four types: baked green tea such as Longjing, baked green tea such as Huangshan Mao Feng, sun-dried green tea such as Qing Chuan, and steamed green tea such as Yulu.
2. Black tea
Different from green tea, black tea is a kind of fully fermented tea, which mainly forms black tea pigment through fermentation, resulting in black tea soup and tea after brewing. In black tea, there are three categories: black tea planted by Yansai and others, kung fu black tea such as Chuanhong, and red broken tea such as broken tea.
3. White tea
White tea buds are easy to identify in tea, and generally white fluff can be seen on its dry tea leaves, so it is called white tea. The fermentation degree of white tea is only higher than that of green tea, and a light and fresh tea soup is formed after brewing. At present, there are two kinds of white bud tea such as Baihao Yinzhen and white leaf tea such as Bai Mudan.
4. Yellow tea
Yellow tea, which can brew yellow leaf and yellow soup, is also a major category of tea. Yellow tea is mainly formed by stuffy yellow, and its production is similar to that of green tea, except that it is fixed and twisted and stuffy yellow. There are mainly three kinds of yellow bud tea such as Junshan Yinzhen, yellow small tea such as Wenzhou Tanghuang and yellow tea such as Guangdong Dayeqing.
5. Green tea
Green tea, also known as oolong tea, belongs to semi-fermented tea, that is, it is fermented properly during production to make its leaves slightly red, which is a kind of tea between green tea and black tea. Dysprosium tea has both the freshness of green tea and the sweetness of black tea. Because its leaves are green in the middle and red in the edge, it is called "green leaves with red edges". There are mainly Tieguanyin, Dahongpao and Frozen Top Oolong.
6.black tea
Black tea belongs to post-fermentation tea. The raw materials are rough and old, and after a long period of accumulation and fermentation during processing, the leaves are dark brown and pressed into bricks. At first, black tea was mainly sold to border areas, and it was an indispensable daily necessity for Tibetan, Mongolian, Uygur and other fraternal peoples. The main varieties of black tea are "Shaanxi Xianyang Fuzhuan Tea", Yunnan Pu 'er Tea, Hunan Black Tea, Hubei Laoqing Tea, Guangxi Liubao Tea and Sichuan Biancha.
Second, according to the season.
1. Spring tea-refers to the tea picked from late March to mid-May of that year. In spring, the temperature is moderate and the rainfall is sufficient. In addition, after half a year's rest in winter, the tea buds in spring are full, the color is green, the leaves are soft and rich in vitamins, especially amino acids. It not only makes the taste of spring tea fragrant, but also has health care function. Tieguanyin is the representative of oolong tea and spring tea in Anxi county, which is a must in appearance and soup color. (such as Luan melon slices and Shanlong black tea)
2. Summer tea refers to tea picked from early May to early July. The hot weather in summer makes the new shoots and leaves of tea trees grow rapidly, which makes the content of water extract that can dissolve tea soup decrease relatively, especially the decrease of amino acids, which makes the taste and aroma of tea soup not as rich as that of spring tea. Because the contents of bitter anthocyanins, caffeine and tea polyphenols are more than those of spring tea, purple buds and leaves not only add different colors, but also taste bitter. (such as Pu 'er tea and maple leaf tea)
3. Autumn tea-tea picked after mid-August. The climatic conditions in autumn are between spring and summer. When tea trees grow in spring and summer, the content of new shoots and new buds is relative, which makes the leaves smaller, brittle, yellow in color and more peaceful in taste and aroma. (such as Tieguanyin and Yuemeixiang)
4. Tea picking in winter began in late June+10. Winter tea grows after autumn tea harvest, and the climate gradually turns cold. Because the new shoots and buds of winter tea grow slowly and the content increases gradually, the taste is mellow and the aroma is rich. (such as frozen top oolong)
Three, with all kinds of raw tea or refined tea processed tea is called tea, including scented tea, pressed tea, liquid tea, instant tea and medicinal tea.
1. Medicinal tea-Medicinal tea is made by mixing medicines with tea leaves, so as to exert and strengthen the efficacy of medicines, promote the dissolution of medicines, increase the aroma of medicines and coordinate the taste of medicines. There are many kinds of this kind of tea, such as afternoon tea, ginger tea powder, longevity tea, slimming tea and Pu Liang branch tea.
2. scented tea-this is a relatively rare tea variety. It is a product that enhances the fragrance of tea with floral fragrance, which is very popular in China. Generally, green tea is used as tea blank, and a few people use black tea or oolong tea as tea blank. It is made of fragrant flowers and fragrance according to the characteristic that tea easily absorbs peculiar smell. There are several kinds of flowers used, including jasmine, osmanthus fragrans and pearl orchid, among which jasmine is the most.