The
Five Major Tea Regions
India
India
is the largest tea-producing country in the world. Although
India mostly grows black tea, its teas are widely known
for their range and excellence.
Main
Teas of India:
•
Black teas: Indian black teas are bright and lively with
medium- to full-bodied flavors. Best known are Assam and
Darjeeling. Darjeeling tea is ofter referred to as the "Champagne
of Tea".
China
Chinese teas cover the most range of all tea-producing countries.
China produces hundreds of varieties and styles of teas
and categorizes them by leaf shape and size and the district
name.
Main
Teas of China:
•
Black teas: Chinese black teas are mild, sweet, and full-bodied
with a range of smokiness. Best known are Keemun and Yunnan
blacks.
• Green teas: Chinese green teas are clean and vegetal
with a range of essences from nutty to smoky. Best known
are Gunpowder, Lung Ching (“Dragon Well”), Hubei
Silver Tip, Young Hyson, Hyson, Chunmee, and Sowmee green
teas.
• Oolong teas: Chinese oolong teas are fruity and
fragrant. Best known are Ti Kwan Yin and Phoenix Mountain.
• Scented teas: Chinese scented teas boast the subtle
flavors of flower petals or blossoms. Best known is Jasmine
tea. See article on scented
teas for more information.
Sri
Lanka
Sri Lanka is one of the largest tea exporters worldwide,
exporting mostly black tea to Egypt, Iraq, and Syria.
Main
Teas of Sri Lanka:
•
Black teas: Sri Lankan black teas offer brisk and refreshing
flavor with mild floral aromas. Best known are Ceylons,
Pekoe, Orange Pekoe, Broken Pekoe, and Broken Orange Pekoe.
Japan
Japanese tea production is well organized and highly efficient,
and it grows some of the world’s premium green teas,
in which the flavors range from light to full bodied.
Main
Teas of Japan:
•
Green teas: Japanese green teas are delicately to richly
grassy flavored and always pale in the cup. Best known are
Bancha, Sencha, Genmai Cha, and Shizuoka.
Taiwan
While Taiwan successfully produces many of the same teas
as China, they are truly known for their exceptional oolongs
and pouchongs.
Main
Teas of Taiwan:
• Oolong teas: Taiwanese oolong teas are fruit flavored
with flowery aromas. The best known is superb Formosa oolong.
• Pouchong teas: Taiwanese pouchong teas are fresh
and sweet with explosive floral fragrances. Pouchong teas
serve as the base tea in scented
teas.
References
McCoy,
Elin and John Frederick Walker, Coffee and Tea, G.S. Haley
Company, Inc., 1998.
www.peets.com
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