Tea, without the Guesswork

Categories, regions, characters & where to find it

There are four major types of Chinese tea — and more varieties within them than most people can name. Each comes from a specific terroir, carries its own tasting profile, and has its own unspoken rules for how and where to drink it.

Shaped by oxidation level, region, and centuries of tradition, these categories aren't just fascinating — they're the difference between tasting tea and actually understanding it.

WE SPELL IT OUT IN THIS GUIDE, SO YOU CAN TASTE THE DIFFERENCE WHETHER YOU'RE AT YOUR LOCAL THIRD-WAVE TEA BAR OR ORDERING YOUR FIRST CUP IN CHINA.

Longjing green tea Hangzhou West Lake — The tea fields outside Hangzhou that give Longjing- a famous green tea- its signature chestnut sweetness.

CATEGORY ONE

绿茶 · Lu Chá — Green Teas

The fresh, grassy intro. Zero oxidation. Highly sensitive to heat

While China cultivates hundreds of regional green teas, the following four are the heavyweights — the names that command the highest respect on the global stage.

Longjing (Dragon's Well)

Origin: Zhejiang. Notes: Toasted chestnut, sweet butter, mellow pea broth. From the West Lake basin — [link "Hangzhou, Zhejiang" → your Hangzhou guide]. Traveler's tip: real pre-Qingming can cost hundreds even per 500g; unusually vivid green signals lower grade.

Biluochun (Jade Spiral Spring)

Origin: Jiangsu. Notes: Stone fruit, intense floral perfume, savory umami finish. From Dongting Mountain's misty, lakeside micro-climate.

Huangshan Maofeng & Xinyang Maojian

Origin: Anhui/Henan. Notes: Fresh orchid and sweet pea, or sharper chestnut-nutty. China's northernmost green tea terroir.

Where to Drink It:

High-end Zhejiang/Jiangsu restaurant chains, hotel lobbies (Shangri-La, Peninsula), Yuyuan Garden's lakeside teahouses in Shanghai. (Skip bubble tea shops and airport lounges.)

Still To Come...

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Three more categories. Ten more teas. The full spectrum, decoded.

White Teas

Aged like a natural wine, not brewed like an ordinary cup.

Oolongs

From floral orchid to heavy charcoal roast.

Pu'er

Pressed into cakes, aged for decades, like a peated single-malt.

Explore three additional tea categories and their most iconic cultivars—from Silver Needle and Tieguanyin to Dahongpao. Each entry features full tasting profiles, terroir origins, and the specific spots where locals gather to drink them properly.