Are you a tea-drinker? If not, you should start now and definitely with Chinese tea. The number of benefits is impressive and it makes you wonder how come everyone is not drinking it yet.
Yes, coffee has become a monopolist of hot drink industry. Its popularity squeezed tea out to the second place. Nevertheless, there’re still a lot of tea connoisseurs and the number is growing day by day, especially when people learn about all perks and benefits of drinking this magic liquid.
A few months ago I came back from China, and this is my forth article about the trip with practical tips and fascinating facts. Here’re all three parts you might have missed:
1) Traveling to China Soon? Read This First (about SIM card, using Internet and getting cash)
2) Traveling to China Soon? Read This First – Part II (about transportation – subway, speed trains and buses)
So, let’s dive into the myriad of facts, benefits and stories about three kinds of Chinese tea which I encountered and enjoyed the most.
Pu’er Tea
About a year ago I read a book called “The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane” by Lisa See. Let me use a cliche phrase and say that this book was an incredible journey for me. It took me as far as Yunan province in China and showed everything I needed to know about Pu’er tea. Before reading the book I had no idea tea could cost as much as gold and that it used to be a sort of currency in ancient China.
Therefore, right after my arrival I started looking for information on Pu’er tea. Imagine my surprise when I found out my friend in Shanghai was going to Yunan region on a business trip and could bring me authentic Pu’er tea.
If you’ve never heard of this kind of tea, you’re not alone. This summer I tried it for the first time in my life. It tastes kind of like our black tea but with more earthy flavor. Usually, it’s stored, transported and sold in cakes. It turns out, older cakes are more valuable as their flavor improves with time. Kind of like wine!
Apparently, Pu’er tea is classified by vintage year, shape, processing method, region, season and a few other ways. As you understand, there’s a big variety of Pu’er tea, but all of it has incredible benefits for improving digestion, cleansing, stress reduction, weight loss, etc.
Longjing Tea
Another wonderful discovery I made while traveling in China was Longjing tea. There’s a beautiful green city on the lake not far from Shanghai. It’s called Hangzhou. I had an amazing opportunity to visit it in summer and travel to Longjing village which is located at the west side of the West Lake.
The gorgeous tea plantations take your breath away the moment you lay your eyes on them. It was my first time to see how tea is grown, and it absolutely amazed me.
As soon as I got to the village, a lady met me at the very entrance and invited to taste tea in her house. Of course, I bought some of it from her after she treated me to a delicious cup of fresh green tea. Before leaving, the sweet lady put a baked sweet potato into my hand and tucked a few plums into my purse. What a great hostess!
Longjing tea has a special taste which is a little bit sweet. It’s the best quality and biggest value when it’s freshly picked. For example, the most expansive Longjing tea was the one that villagers harvested in spring a few months before I came there.
Oolong Tea
The third type of tea I want to tell you about is oolong. Believe it or not, only this year I learned that all tea in the world is made from the same plant whether it’s black, green, white, oolong and pure, it’s all produced from Camellia sinensis. What differentiates one kind of tea from another is the region where it was grown and the method of processing it.
If white and green teas are not processed at all, black and pure teas are processed through fermentation and oxidation, oolong tea is something in the middle. It has much stronger flavor that green and white tea because it’s partially oxidized. Some oolong teas are sweet and fruity, while others have woody and even milky aroma. And all of it is incredibly good for our health. It stimulates our mental acuteness, boosts metabolism, decreases risk of developing type 2 diabetes and may even protect against certain types of cancer.
Finally, for those of you who will have a chance to visit Shanghai and want to taste and buy tea, I can recommend Tianshan Tea City. The location of this tea market is not very far from Zhongshan Park metro station. Use GPS and you will find it in no time.
The shopkeeper will invite you to taste different kinds of tea and select the ones you want to buy. Get ready to drink not just one cup but four or five :). I had amazing experience there and will definitely visit this market again!
So, if you’re looking for new experiences, tea tasting is no doubt the one to go for. Remember the best ways to develop creativity? Trying new things. I want to encourage you to take up tea drinking if you’ve only been drinking coffee. Your heart will only be grateful to you. Take care of your health and enjoy the variety of what the world has to offer. Travel, meet new people, try new food and drinks and your life will be enriched by these incredible experiences.
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