It should come as no surprise that China is the world’s greatest producer of tea and a place of spirituality for the modest cup of tea. Approximately 40% of the 2.4 million tonnes of tea produced worldwide comes from China. The Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Yunnan, and Zhejiang are where it is mainly farmed. 

The History of Tea

During China’s Shang dynasty, tea was consumed as a therapeutic beverage, according to one of the first records of tea consumption. A Chinese physician named Hua Tuo wrote a medical work in the 3rd Century AD that contains the earliest known account of tea consumption. 

Early in the 16th century, Portuguese traders and missionaries in China brought it to the attention of Westerners. In the seventeenth century, tea drinking gained popularity in Britain. The British began to produce tea commercially in British India in order to challenge the Chinese monopoly on tea. 

Many in the West mistakenly believed that fermented tea is the favored mode of drinking in China because the tea leaves got fermented during their lengthy train or road transportation. This also helps to explain why the most popular type of tea in the West is fermented (black) tea.

Tea Plantations in China

China’s tea plantations are notable not just for their production of tea but also for their historical and cultural significance. China’s four primary regions, each having a unique climate and tea varieties, are areas where tea is mainly grown. 

The tea plant is thought to have originated in the southwest of China, which includes provinces like Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and portions of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Provinces like Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian, Taiwan, and Guangxi are included in the southern area. It is well-known for producing white, oolong, and black tea. 

Provinces like Zhejiang, Hunan, Jiangxi, Hubei, and portions of Anhui and Jiangsu are included in the south of the Yangtze River. It is well-known for producing green tea, the most well-known of which is Longjing tea

Provinces like Shandong, Henan, Gansu, Shaanxi, and the northern portions of Anhui, Jiangsu, and Hubei are included in the north of the Yangtze River. The most common type of tea produced in this area is green tea; prominent varieties include Xinyang Maojian and Liu An Melon Seed tea. 

Types of Tea

Chinese tea producers grow a variety of tea species with distinct sizes, forms, colors, flavors, and scents. Here is a discussion on the varieties of tea. 

Green Tea

Green tea is a variety of tea manufactured from Camellia sinensis buds and leaves that have not been subjected to the same oxidation and withering process as black and oolong teas. Green tea has certain bodily benefits. By lowering blood pressure, green tea may lessen the chance of stroke and arterial heart disease. According to certain research on animals, green tea may prevent the onset of arterial heart disease by lowering body weight and blood glucose levels.

Black Tea

Compared to oolong, yellow, white, and green teas, black tea is more oxidized. In general, black tea has a stronger flavor than other teas. It has many health benefits. Due to its high antioxidant content, black tea may improve gastrointestinal and heart health as well as lower the chance of developing certain diseases. Black tea is one of the most popular drinks in the world, next to water.

White Tea

Because it is so little processed, white tea is regarded as one of the most precious tea kinds. White tea gets its name from the fact that it is collected before the leaves fully open on the tea plant, while the young buds remain covered in tiny white hairs. Its health benefits include reduction in heart diseases, weight loss, and protection of your teeth from bacteria. It is also rich in antioxidants. 

Oolong Tea

Oolong belongs to a different class of tea and is not a black tea or a green tea. However, depending on the approach the tea master takes during the tea’s processing, an oolong may match with more black tea or more green tea qualities. Studies reveal that oolong tea’s ingredients are more potent antioxidants and anti-mutagenic than those in green or black tea. Studies also reveal that oolong tea’s polyphenols reduce blood sugar.

Yellow Tea

One type of tea that has been gently oxidized is yellow tea. This one has a somewhat different flavor profile with a smooth texture, pleasant aroma, and a fruity, distinct aftertaste. Benefit-wise, it is comparable to green tea in several ways. When compared to other teas, especially green tea, it is less harsh on the stomach. The reason this tea is so pricey is that producing yellow tea requires a great deal of talent and labor due to its labor-intensive, delicate, and time-consuming nature.

The Processing of Tea

Tea is processed using a variety of techniques, such as crushing, drying, plucking, withering, rolling, and shaping the leaves to prepare them for brewing. Let us discuss this process in detail. 

Tea Picking 

The process of making tea begins with plucking, which involves hand-harvesting the tea plant. In order to make good black or green tea, one must remove the initial two leaves and one bud; for oolong teas, one must remove the bud alongside three or four leaves; and for white tea, just the bud is required. Plucking occurs during the growing season, which is dependent on the weather and varies from area to area.

Withering 

During the withering phase of tea leaf processing, the leaf is plucked to remove water, leaving between 55 and 70 percent of it withered. Using conventional techniques, new leaves are spread out on trays or tats and let to wither for 18 to 20 hours. Mechanized systems like trench withering, tunnel withering, drum withering, and continual withering machines minimize withering time but may degrade the end product’s quality by lowering molecular withering time, which disintegrates proteins and carbs into simpler sugars and amino acids.

Rolling and Fermentation

Tea is traditionally made by rolling withered leaves into a distinctive twist and burst cell shape, which mixes the enzymes and polyphenols. The leaves are rolled between palms or on a table, twisted, juice-coated, and then broken into bits. After that, the leaf is sifted and moved to the fermenting chamber.

Packing

Teas are contained in airtight jars to avoid moisture absorption, which is the main reason why flavor fades over time. Typically, packing chests are made of plywood, insulated with the same material, and coated with paper and aluminum foil. Paper sacks wrapped with plastic are also utilized, as well as cardboard boxes with corrugations enclosed with aluminum foil.

Problems faced by tea manufacturers in China

Experts claim that the production of tea is connected to several sustainability concerns, such as emissions from pesticide use, possible disguised deforestation, and climate change. Drought, altered rainfall patterns, and an increase in pest population are just a few of the ways that climate change is currently impacting tea growers. 

Conclusion 

China is the largest producer of tea in the World. Several Chinese provinces are home to tea farming. According to historical accounts, China’s Shang Dynasty started drinking tea as a therapeutic beverage. There is a wide variety of tea available in the world through China. Tea is rich in antioxidants and has numerous health benefits. The method of cultivating tea involves steps like plucking, withering, rolling, fermenting, and drying after which the tea is packed and exported to different countries.