The world of Chinese tea is extraordinarily rich and varied. Two thousand years of tea tradition are present in the hundreds of gorgeous tea varieties, which have a broad range of taste, appearance and action. There are teas for very different occasions and moods. When you are just entering this amazing world, you can be surprised and confused with the numerous names and varieties. We will then start with basic teas to introduce you to this magical journey through the world of genuine tea.
There are several basic tea types that join the hundreds of tea varieties.
The best tea for hot seasons and active lifestyle. It is refreshing and light, has a delicate taste and a tender floral aroma. Not heated during production process so it has the maximum nutrients. It is a champion of the antioxidants and vitamins content.
An elegant tea with smoky tones and milky overtones. One of the most rare and expensive teas in China for tea gourmets and enthusiasts. Its original production technology was kept in secret for many centuries.
The most famous and popular tea type in China. The technology has been improved through centuries by hard working hereditary tea masters to make it a precious product. It has “four perfections” : perfect shape, clear infusion, rich aroma and fresh taste. The green tea flavored with jasmine flowers is also in this category.
This tea is like a festival. It is very optimistic, emotional, bright tea type that releases the magnificent play of gorgeous taste and flavor nuances. A very long lasting tea, perfect for friend tea party, important social meeting, or personal celebration. An inspiration for creating, feeling and living a real life. Traditionally produced in South Fujian and in Taiwan.
Pure and wonderful aroma, strong and deep taste. As it releases gradually, drink it slowly and enjoy every tiny sip. Such kind of tea time is called “congfu-cha”, “tea mastering” and requires spare time, special equipment, tea practice, nice company and tea mood. Over the last five hundred years fermented oolongs were made in the Wuyishan Mountains in the North of Fujian and Chaozhou (Guangdong).
A nice tea to drink in the dull or cold weather, when in minor mood or depression. Envelope yourself in its gorgeous taste and aroma as in a warm blanket, feel the wave of inner warmness, soft silence and harmony with the surrounding world. Red tea is beneficial for people, who are sensitive to cold, with rapid fatigability and sleepiness.
A simple and strong, a bit brutal tea, with mild and aged deep aroma. The bouquet of black tea is dense, with nutty, vinous, berry, woody and sometimes earthy tones. The most famous tea varieties are Anhua black tea, 安化黑茶 (Hunan province), Liubao, 六堡茶 (Guangxi province), Laoqing Cha, 老青茶 (Hubei province), Sichuan Frontier tea, Bian Cha, 四川边茶.
A strong natural energy drink with bright, rich taste and tonic effect. Puer contains a unique set of biologically active substances. The Chinese call them “sheng qi” or “the breath of life”. These substances let the tea stay "alive" for many years and getting new properties. Ripe Puer provides the boost of energy, freshness of perception, a state of mild euphoria and inner comfort. There are two types of Puer. The first is raw (sheng) cha 生 茶 or "green" Puer. We recommend to taste compressed Yiwu Zheng Shan and Gu Shu Yesheng for knowing this type. The second type isripe (shu) cha 熟 茶 or "mature" Puer. You can try such varieties as Yunnan Puer Cha Bing, Chen Xiang Shu Cha, Shu Xiao Bing, or loose Hao Shu Cha. The raw puers category is divided into "green" type, "white" type (Gu Shu Yin Ya), "purple" type (Zi Juan and Zi Ya) and Ya Bao tea. You can learn more about the different varieties of Puer in this video.
If you find it difficult to choose tea, we always advise to purchase a small amount of different popular tea varieties, marked with “best product” sign on the main page of our website shop. Also, you can purchase one of our “Tea sets” that are especially prepared for tea beginners. Our shop assistant will help you to make your individual tea set according to your wishes and preferences.
Proper quality Chinese tea brewing is significant to release all the wonderful properties and to offer you the maximum pleasure. A wide range of quality tea ware and accessories made from clay, glass, porcelain, tea trays and other items is available in our shop. You can learn about proper tea making here. Also read here about some special rules and abundance about taking tea.
If you just start to know about tea varieties, we would recommend you to take a number of items from the price range of 100-900 rubles per 100 grams.Most of the tea shops call themselves "elite Chinese tea" (you can read more about it in the article "What is the elite tea"). We do not use this terminology because of its shady advertising specifics. The quality of these teas is certainly much better than the mass market teas. It is a genuine fine tea, harvested and produced by hand from a quality raw material, purchased directly from the manufacturer and carefully delivered to our teashop. In addition, our low cost tea is easy to brew, you don’t need to have special skills to infuse them. It makes it then the perfect tea to start to know the Chinese tea tradition.
If you are a tea enthusiast, aware of genuine Chinese tea varieties and have a practice of traditional Chinese tea making, you can choose a wide range of tea in the price 900-2900 rubles per 100 grams. Tea lovers with advanced tea mastering skills will specially appreciate items starting from 2900 rubles per 100 grams.
These high quality teas have a very specific effect to join people, both at physical and spiritual level, leading to an “esoterically aura” phenomena around the tea culture. Those who follow such an approach to tea drinking tend to emphasize non-material aspects while loosing the common sense and pragmatic nuances of tea making. On the other side tea start to be considered as a legal analogue of drugs and plants due to the tea popularity among youth subculture, such as hip hop movement. However, by ignoring important aspects such as tea traditions and culture and not giving a deep and subtle attention to the tea, it becomes very difficult for those young tea lovers to get those special effects (read more about tea effects).
We follow a “golden mean” in our approach to tea drinking, and respect tea as a honorable one. We believe there is no need to create numerous myths around the tea culture as well as taking it as a commonplace product.
Tea is a thousand years drink, which brings some really fresh stream into your life. Just open the door to this wonderful world.