China - Global Tea Producer
27th January 2010
Whenever you dunk a teabag into your mug or tip a spoonful of loose leaves into a teapot, we bet your thoughts are only on the refreshingly delicious brew you're about to enjoy and not the epic journey the tea has made from far flung plantation to kitchen!
We begin an enlightening new series on the major tea producing nations with China to discover the history of Chinese tea.
China has always been a major player in the world of tea since the country witnessed the first accidental brewing in 2737BC. According to legend, venerable Emperor Shen Nung was boiling water in a cauldron when leaves from a nearby tea bush blew into his brew. On tasting the resulting drink Shen Nung found it delicious (of course!) and continued to brew tea, drinking it as a medicinal tonic. An alternative history suggests that early Buddhist settlers in China chewed tea leaves as a prayer stimulant and took responsibility for introducing tea's revitalizing properties but in either case, tea had become a popular drink in China by the time of Confucius (551 - 479BC) and continued to grow in favour throughout the following centuries.
Although it began its life as a mainly medicinal drink, tea was appointed as China's national drink during the Tang dynasty's reign. Scholars studied the optimum planting, processing and brewing processes and helped elevate tea-drinking to a high status activity. Tea began to be gifted (the ruling emperors often received fine loose teas as presents) and books, poetry, art and songs were dedicated to the brew. Lu Yu, sometimes known as The Sage of Tea, wrote the celebrated tome The Classic of Tea which is noted as the ultimate and first work on tea.
Once Chinese tea-drinking became widespread it was initially processed into dry bricks which were then ground and the resulting powder whisked into hot water - this method remains the Japanese way of serving tea - but it was during the rule of the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644) when the 'modern' method of brewing steeped, cured loose leaves was introduced.
Tea begun its worldwide spread in 900AD, when Japan took up the habit of serving tea in intricate tea ceremonies, but it wasn't until the 1600s when Britain got the bug. When tea first reached England's shores in 1669 it's enjoyment was largely confined to the upper classes due to it's inflated cost - a pound of tea cost the same as nine months-worth of labouring wages! However prices began to drop as the British began to import tea from China in ever increasing quantities to satiate the nation's thirst and the drink became a daily necessity, rather than a luxury.
China has always held the position of one of the biggest global tea producers, but the country's reputation was cemented when the adage, "not for all the tea in China" came into general use in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, acknowledging China's vast tea production. Today most of the tea is produced on large plantations on an industrial-sized scale but there are also small tea gardens that specialize in producing rare expensive teas prized by tassophiles worldwide. The tea takes on the characteristics of the local area as well as the way they're processed and harvested and connoisseurs taste it in a similar fashion to wine.
Before the 1980s, farms - including tea farms - were all owned by the state and farmers worked together in communes. However during the Chinese Reform era the farms broke away to be run by individuals. To this day the Chinese government often purchases a large percentage of each crop, but since starting to be run by individuals the tea farms have upped production and export to meet worldwide demands for China tea.
Today, China has approximately 1.3 billion residents and, in 2008, produced 1,257,384 tonnes of tea (which accounts for 30% of tea production worldwide). 1,431,300 hectares of Chinese land are planted with tea and most of China's tea stays in the country to be drunk by the Chinese - that's a lot of tea! However, as more people are discovering the health benefits of drinking a cuppa exports are rising and 70% of the world's green tea currently comes from China.
Geographically, Camellia Sinensis is a native Chinese plant and has been shown to originate in the area where India, Burma, China and Tibet converge. The Chinese Yunnan province is classified as tea's birthplace - the place where humans first discovered that tea leaves could be eaten and drunk - and is still home to the world's oldest cultivated tea tree, which is said to be 3200 years old! From this relatively small area of origin, tea cultivation has spread across more than 50 countries today, and is drunk in many more, while varieties of tea have grown too - some experts have counted over 1000 varieties of tea grown in China alone! For centuries the only teas drunk in England came from China although other countries such as India, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Japan are now worldwide tea exporters too. We'll investigate the history of tea in those countries a later date so do check back soon, but in the meantime, why not try one of the Top Teas from China?
Lapsang Souchong
- Possibly China's most famous tea, with a deep smoky scent acquired by drying leaves over pinewood fires, Lapsang originates from China's Fujian province and this is where factories still process the tea in the same way as they've done for more than 400 years. There is an old legend attached to the tea but in reality the smoked flavour comes from a process of rolling, oxidising and drying the leaves, which was developed when China's tea trade exploded in the 17th Century. Un-oxidised green tea did not travel long distances so Lapsang was created to ensure it arrived in delicious condition at the overseas markets which included American and Europe.
Keemun
- Black tea with a light nutty scent, the leaves are skillfully rolled into tight, thin strips.
Yunnan
- An earthy, malty black tea which is best drunk with milk.
Gunpowder
- This green tea is pan-fired and rolled into small pellets before drying. The little pellets look like lead shot (hence the name) and are graded by size - everything from 'pinhead' to 'peahead' size!
Chun Mee
- Another descriptive name for green tea, this time meaning 'precious eyebrows'. The long leaves make tea with a pale yellow liquid and smooth flavour.
Oolong teas, which also originate in the Fujian province, are semi-oxidised through two different processes. For dark leaf oolongs the leaves are withered, shaken in bamboo baskets to bruise them, then oxidised for a short while before being dried. However for greener oolongs, after withering the leaf is wrapped in cloth and rolled. The leaves are emptied, oxidised then the process is repeated. Drying then takes place to remove almost all the water content. If you'd like to try an oolong look out for fragrant Tie Kuan Yin, Loui Gui, Wuyi Liu Hsiang and Huan Jin Qui varieties.
Pouchong teas are even more lightly oxidised than oolongs and they are carefully wrapped in paper after manufacturing, as the name pouchong (which means wrapped) suggests. The flavour is smooth and sweet while the long elegant leaves give a mild, amber liquor.
White Teas
- With the purest processing levels, white teas are simply gathered and dried in the sun. Only the leaf buds of the Da Bai tea variety are used.
Pai Mu Tan
- One one of the most famous yet rarest white teas, 'White Peony' is made only from the smallest buds and baby leaves which are picked in the Spring. The production of this tea began in the 1920s.
Puerh teas have been aged for anything up to 50 years in dark, humid conditions and are currently favoured by the celeb set. Victoria Beckham is a fan of the strong, earthy flavour. Click here to find out more about Puerh tea.
Jasmine tea
- Combining two beautiful oriental plants - tea and jasmine blossom - this floral tea is made by drying jasmine blossoms in between layers of tea leaves.
Rose Congou
- A lusciously rose scented black tea.
Earl Grey
- The famously citrus-scented black tea, treated with oil of bergamot for a bright uplifting flavour. Find out more about Earl Grey here.
To find out more about the history of tea visit Tea.co.uk's history pages - click here.
Image credits:
Map of China from geology.com
Shen Nung from tea-campaign.net
Tea pickers from english.people.com.cn
Green tea from Zimbio.com
Merchants drinking tea from chestofbooks.com
Legend of Shen Nung from quazen.com
Lu Yu appraising tea from fineartgalleryhk.com