茶，源自中国。《神农本草经》有记：“神农尝百草，日遇七十二毒，得茶而解之。”可见茶的最早发现与利用，是从药用开始的。种茶、饮茶的习俗始于西南，主要在四川一带。因蜀道艰险，外界曾不得而知。直到秦统一中原，增进了和其他地区的经济交流，茶文化才逐渐扩散开来。在西汉后期与三国时代，茶发展成为宫廷的高级饮料。晋隋时期向民间普及。至唐、宋，已家喻户晓。
随着科技的发展，与各国往来的日益密切，茶叶声名远播，逐渐在各大贸易航线上流通。作为地域特色浓厚且不可替代的大宗商品，“茶”字永久性地改变了世界各地的语言结构，如今不论人们来自何方，在他们的语言里，“茶”的读音全都惊人的相似，即便有所不同也仅仅是由于当事国最初的贩茶地点位于中国的不同省份。例如，比邻而居的葡萄牙和西班牙，语言大体相通，但前者借由阿拉伯与中原间接往来，所以将茶读作“cha”。而后者则直接与闽南茶商交易，将茶读作“dei”。
Tea originated in the southwest of China, used as a medicinal drink. It became a popular drink throughout China during the Tang dynasty, and tea drinking spread to other East Asian countries. Portuguese priests and merchants introduced it to the West during the 16th century. During the 17th century, drinking tea became fashionable among Britons, who started large-scale production and commercialization of the plant in India to bypass a Chinese monopoly at that time.
Most Chinese languages, such as Mandarin and Cantonese, pronounce it along the lines of cha, but Hokkien varieties along the Southern coast of China and in Southeast Asia pronounce it like teh. These two pronunciations have made their separate ways into other languages around the world:
Te is from the Amoy tê of southern Fujian province. It reached the West from the port of Xiamen (Amoy), once a major point of contact with Western European traders such as the Dutch, who spread it to Western Europe. This pronunciation gives rise to English “tea” and other similar words in other languages, and is the most common form worldwide.
Cha is from the Cantonese chàh of Guangzhou (Canton) and the ports of Hong Kong and Macau, also major points of contact, especially with the Portuguese, who spread it to India in the 16th century. The Korean and Japanese pronunciations of cha, however, came not from Cantonese, rather they were borrowed into Korean and Japanese during earlier periods of Chinese history.
绿茶 Green Tea
绿茶是未经发酵制成的茶，保留了鲜叶的天然物质，对防衰老、防癌、抗癌、杀菌、消炎等具有特殊效果。绿茶是以适宜茶树新梢为原料，经杀青、揉捻、干燥等典型工艺过程制成的茶叶。其干茶色泽和冲泡后的茶汤、叶底以绿色为主调，故名绿茶。中国生产绿茶的范围极为广泛，河南、贵州、江西、安徽、浙江、江苏、四川、陕西、湖南、湖北、广西、福建均有产出。
Green tea is the most popular form of tea in China. Chinese green teas are made from over 600 different cultivars of the Camellia sinensis plant, giving plenty of variety and regional teas. Chinese green teas are traditionally pan-fired, other processes include oven-dried and sun-dried. Due to the different production process, Chinese teas are said to have a more “earthy” taste.
红茶 Black Tea
红茶在加工过程中发生了以茶多酚酶促氧化为中心的化学反应，鲜叶中的化学成分变化较大，茶多酚减少90%以上，产生了茶黄素、茶红素等新成分。香气物质比鲜叶明显增加。所以红茶具有红茶、红汤、红叶和香甜味醇的特征。中国红茶品种主要有：日照红茶、祁红、昭平红、霍红、滇红、越红、泉城红、泉城绿、苏红、川红、英红、东江楚云仙红茶等，其中以祁门红茶最为著名，为我国第二大茶类。
Black tea is usually graded on one of four scales of quality. Whole leaf teas are highest quality followed by broken leaves, fannings, and dusts. Whole leaf teas are produced with little or no alteration to the tea leaf. This results in a finished product with a coarser texture than that of bagged teas. Whole leaf teas are widely considered the most valuable, especially if they contain leaf tips. Broken leaves are commonly sold as medium grade loose teas. Smaller broken varieties may be included in tea bags. Fannings are usually small particles of tea left over from the production of larger tea varieties, but are occasionally manufactured specifically for use in bagged teas. Dusts are the finest particles of tea left over from production of the above varieties, and are often used for tea bags with very fast, very harsh brews. Fannings and dust are useful in bagged teas because the greater surface area of the many particles allows for a fast, complete diffusion of the tea into the water. Fannings and dusts usually have a darker colour, lack of sweetness, and stronger flavor when brewed.
乌龙茶 Oolong Tea
亦称青茶、半发酵茶及全发酵茶，品种较多，是中国几大茶类中，独具鲜明汉族特色的茶叶品类。乌龙茶是经过采摘、萎凋、摇青、炒青、揉捻、烘焙等工序后制出的品质优异的茶类。乌龙茶由宋代贡茶龙团、凤饼演变而来，创制于1725年（清雍正年间）前后。乌龙茶的药理作用突出表现在分解脂肪、减肥健美等方面。在日本被称之为“美容茶”、“ 健美茶”。乌龙茶为中国特有的茶类，主要产于福建的闽北、闽南及广东、台湾三个省。四川、湖南等省也有少量生产。除内销广东、福建等省外，主要出口日本、东南亚和港澳地区。
Oolong is a traditional Chinese tea (Camellia sinensis) produced through a unique process including withering the plant under the strong sun and oxidation before curling and twisting. Most oolong teas, especially those of fine quality, involve unique tea plant cultivars that are exclusively used for particular varieties. The degree of oxidation can range from 8 to 85%, depending on the variety and production style. Oolong is especially popular with tea connoisseurs of south China and Chinese expatriates in Southeast Asia, as is the Fujian preparation process known as the Gongfu tea ceremony.
Different styles of oolong tea can vary widely in flavor. They can be sweet and fruity with honey aromas, or woody and thick with roasted aromas, or green and fresh with bouquet aromas, all depending on the horticulture and style of production. Several types of oolong tea, including those produced in the Wuyi Mountains of northern Fujian, such as Da Hong Pao, are among the most famous Chinese teas. Different varieties of oolong are processed differently, but the leaves are usually formed into one of two distinct styles. Some are rolled into long curly leaves, while others are ‘wrap-curled’ into small beads, each with a tail. The former style is the more traditional of the two in China.
The name oolong tea came into the English language from the Chinese name, meaning “black dragon tea”. In Chinese, oolong teas are also known as qingcha or “dark green teas”.
The manufacture of oolong tea is intricate because some of the basic steps involved in its making are repeated many times before the desired amount of bruising and browning of the leaves is achieved. Withering, rolling, shaping, and firing are similar to black tea, but much more attention to timing and temperature is necessary. One last step, baking or roasting, is exclusive to oolong tea and is referred to as the real art in making this tea.
白茶 White Tea
属微发酵茶，是中国茶农创制的传统名茶。指一种采摘后，不经杀青或揉捻，只经过晒或文火干燥后加工的茶。具有外形芽毫完整，满身披毫，毫香清鲜，汤色黄绿清澈，滋味清淡回甘的品质特点。因其成品茶多为芽头，满披白毫，如银似雪而得名。主要产区在福建福鼎、政和、松溪、建阳、云南景谷等地。基本工艺包括萎凋、烘焙（或阴干）、拣剔、复火等工序。云南白茶工艺主要晒青，晒青茶的优势在于口感保持茶叶原有的清香味。萎凋是形成白茶品质的关键工序。
Currently there is no general accepted definition of white tea and very little international agreement. One source says that white tea is minimal processed tea (just drying, no fermentation or other procedures) Another says that “white tea is made from buds and young leaves, which are steamed or fired to inactivate polyphenol oxidase, and then dried.”
It is harvested primarily in China, mostly in the Fujian province, but more recently it is grown in Eastern Nepal, Taiwan, Northern Thailand, Galle (Southern Sri Lanka) and India.
White tea comes from the buds and leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. The leaves and buds are allowed to wither and dry in natural sun.
The name “white tea” derives from the fine silvery-white hairs on the unopened buds of the tea plant, which gives the plant a whitish appearance. The beverage itself is not white or colourless but pale yellow, light to the taste, and is free shaped.
黄茶 Yellow Tea
黄茶是中国特产。其按鲜叶老嫩芽叶大小又分为黄芽茶、黄小茶和黄大茶。黄芽茶主要有君山银针、蒙顶黄芽和霍山黄芽；如沩山毛尖、泉城红、泉城绿、平阳黄汤等均属黄小茶；而安徽皖西金寨、霍山、湖北英山和广东大叶青则为黄大茶。黄茶的品质特点是“黄叶黄汤”。加工工艺近似绿茶，只是在干燥过程的前或后，增加一道“闷黄”的工艺，促使其多酚叶绿素等物质部份氧化。
Yellow tea is a rare and expensive variety of tea. It is produced similarly to green tea, but with an added step of being steamed under a damp cloth after oxidisation, giving the leaves a slightly yellow colouring. This process also imparts a mellower and less grassy taste than is found in green teas. However, it can also describe high-quality teas served at the Imperial court, although this can be applied to any form of imperially-served tea.
黑茶 Dark Tea
因成品茶的外观呈黑色，故得名。属后发酵茶，主产区为四川、云南、湖北、湖南、陕西、安徽等地。黑茶采用的原料较粗老，是压制紧压茶的主要原料。制茶工艺一般包括杀青、揉捻、渥堆和干燥四道工序。黑茶按地域分布，主要分类为湖南黑茶（茯茶）、四川藏茶（边茶）、云南黑茶（普洱茶）、广西六堡茶、湖北老黑茶及陕西黑茶（茯茶）、安徽古黟黑茶。
Fermented tea (also known as post-fermented tea or dark tea) is a class of tea that has undergone microbial fermentation, from several months to many years. The exposure of the tea leaves to humidity and oxygen during the process also causes endo-oxidation (derived from the tea-leaf enzymes themselves) and exo-oxidation (which is microbially catalysed). The tea leaves and the liquor made from them become darker with oxidation. Thus, the various kinds of fermented teas produced across China are also referred to as dark tea, not be confused with black tea. The most famous fermented tea is Pu-erh, produced in Yunnan Province, and the Anhua black tea produced in Anhua County of Hunan Province.
The fermentation of tea leaves alters their chemistry, affecting the organoleptic qualities of the tea made from them. Fermentation affects the smell of the tea and typically mellows its taste, reducing astringency and bitterness while improving mouthfeel and aftertaste. The microbes may also produce metabolites with health benefits.
花茶 Herbal Tea
又名香片，即将植物的花或叶或其果实泡制而成的茶，是中国特有的一类再加工茶。其是利用茶善于吸收异味的特点，将有香味的鲜花和新茶一起闷，茶将香味吸收后再把干花筛除，制成的花茶香味浓郁，茶汤色深。花茶又可细分为花草茶和花果茶。饮用叶或花的称之为花草茶，如荷叶、甜菊叶。饮用其果实的称之为花果茶，如：无花果、柠檬、山楂、罗汉果、有花果。其气味芬香并具有养生疗效。外形条索紧结匀整，色泽黄绿尚润；内质香气鲜灵浓郁，具有明显的鲜花香气，汤色浅黄明亮，叶底细嫩匀亮。花茶主要以绿茶、红茶或者乌龙茶作为茶坯，配以能够吐香的鲜花作为原料，采用窨制工艺制作而成的茶叶。根据其所用的香花品种不同，分为茉莉花茶、玉兰花茶、桂花花茶、珠兰花茶等，其中以茉莉花茶产量最大。
Herbal tea, or tisane, is any beverage made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water, and usually does not contain caffeine. These drinks are distinguished from true teas (black, green, white, yellow, oolong, etc., which are prepared from the cured leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis), as well as from decaffeinated tea, in which the caffeine has been removed. In many countries, the word ‘tea’ can only be used for leaves of Camellia sinensis and therefore the phrase ‘herbal tea’ cannot be used. These beverages are therefore labelled infusion or tisane.
Like beverages made from true teas, herbal teas can be served hot or cold. Herbal teas have been used for nearly as long as written history extends. Documents have been recovered dating back to Ancient Egypt and Ancient China that discuss the enjoyment and uses of herbal teas. Among the Chinese, herbal teas are commonly known as liangcha.
