Chinese tea boasts a profound history, offering a myriad of diverse tea varieties akin to a blooming garden in spring, adorning the landscapes like an enchanting tapestry across the vast expanse of the country. Among the multitude of tea varieties as plentiful as the stars in the sky, Chinese famous teas stand out as exquisite treasures. Simultaneously, these famed teas hold a prestigious position internationally.
Famous teas are categorized into traditional and historical distinctions, despite a lack of complete consensus regarding their specific definitions. However, considering various aspects, famous teas must possess several fundamental characteristics: firstly, their renown stems from unique characteristics primarily evident in the tea’s color, aroma, taste, and appearance. Teas are celebrated globally for their “green color, rich aroma, mellow taste, and beautiful appearance,” although some famous teas are renowned for one or two specific traits.
Chinese tea has an extensive historical legacy, and famous teas represent rare gems among the diverse array of tea varieties. The classification of famous teas into traditional and historical categories has led to various interpretations regarding China’s “Ten Famous Teas” in the past. (another topic: What is a Traditional Chinese Tea?)
Ranking Editions
The Ten Famous Teas of China represent the pinnacle of tea varieties, quality, and production craftsmanship in China. They epitomize the unique charm of Chinese tea culture, with each renowned tea embodying profound historical origins and captivating legends.
In 1915, the Panama-Pacific International Exposition recognized Bi Luo Chun, Xin Yang Mao Jian, West Lake Long Jing, Junshan Silver Needle, Huangshan Mao Feng, Wuyi Rock Tea, Qi Men Hong Tea, Du Yun Mao Jian, Liu An Gua Pian, and Anxi Tie Guan Yin as the Ten Famous Teas of China.
In 1959, the “Ten Famous Teas” evaluation in China listed West Lake Long Jing, Dong Ting Bi Luo Chun, Huangshan Mao Feng, Lu Shan Clouds and Mist Tea, Liu An Gua Pian, Junshan Silver Needle, Xin Yang Mao Jian, Wuyi Rock Tea, Anxi Tie Guan Yin, and Qi Men Hong Tea as the Ten Famous Teas of China.
In 2001, the Associated Press and The New York Times recognized West Lake Long Jing, Huangshan Mao Feng, Dong Ting Bi Luo Chun, Meng Ding Gan Lu, Xin Yang Mao Jian, Du Yun Mao Jian, Lu Shan Clouds and Mist, Liu An Gua Pian, Anxi Tie Guan Yin, and Yinhao Jasmine Tea as the Ten Famous Teas of China.
In 2002, the “Hong Kong Wen Wei Po” identified West Lake Long Jing, Dong Ting Bi Luo Chun, Huangshan Mao Feng, Junshan Silver Needle, Xin Yang Mao Jian, Anhui Qi Men Hong Tea, Liu An Gua Pian, Du Yun Mao Jian, Wuyi Rock Tea, and Anxi Tie Guan Yin as the Ten Famous Teas of China. (another topic: What is Special About Chinese Tea?-Guide(2023))
Various Varieties of Tea
Mount Lu Cloud and Mist Tea
Mount Lu Cloud and Mist Tea is a traditional Chinese famous tea and one of the Ten Famous Teas in China, belonging to the category of green tea. Initially, it was a wild tea variety that was later transformed into cultivated tea by Master Huiyuan, a renowned monk from Donglin Temple. Originating from the Han Dynasty, it was designated as a “tribute tea” during the Song Dynasty.
Dragon Well Tea
Dragon Well Tea grows in the mountains adjacent to West Lake. The area, nestled by the lake and surrounded by steep mountains, experiences a mild climate with year-round misty conditions and abundant rainfall. The loose and fertile soil combined with these conditions allows tea trees to flourish, resulting in consistently vibrant, lush green leaves.
Liu An Gua Pian
Liu An Gua Pian is a nationally renowned historical tea and one of the top ten classic green teas in China. Also known as “sliced tea,” it is a special type of green tea. Collected from a unique local tea variety, it undergoes a distinctive traditional processing technique involving the plucking and removal of tender buds and stems to produce tea leaves resembling melon seeds in shape.
Huangshan Maofeng Tea
Originating from the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, the production of Huangshan tea involves meticulous steps. The harvesting period spans from the Qingming Festival to Lixia. After plucking, the buds and fresh leaves undergo selection, discarding older leaves and stems, ensuring uniformity. During processing, controlling the withering temperature based on leaf quality prevents issues like red stems or uneven withering.
Anxi Tie Guan Yin
Anxi Tie Guan Yin is one of China’s famous oolong teas, originating from Anxi County in Quanzhou City, Fujian Province. With a long history, it’s dubbed the “King of Teas.” Historical records trace its origins back to the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty (1725-1735). The mountainous terrain and favorable climate in Anxi County foster abundant tea plant growth, offering a variety of tea tree species and stunningly diverse appearances, setting it apart nationwide. Anxi Tie Guan Yin can be harvested in four seasons: spring, summer, midsummer, and autumn, with the spring harvest yielding the best quality.
Xinyang Maofeng Tea
Primarily cultivated in the remote mountainous regions of Xinyang City in Henan Province, including Shixi, Dongjiahe, Wujiaodian Township, as well as some high and low mountainous areas in the southern regions like Dongshuang River, Liulin, Lijiachai, Tanjia River, and Shisanshiqiao Town in Pingqiao District. During the late Qing Dynasty (1903-1905), Cai Zuxian, an official involved in combating smuggling and a member of the former tea industry, proposed tea cultivation in Xinyang. With support from Ganzhou Yuan, head of the Xinyang Industry Promotion Bureau, they established the “Yuanzhen” tea society, invited a tea master surnamed Yu from Anhui to assist in tea tree cultivation and processing.
Dong Ting Bi Luo Chun
Originating from Dongting Mountain in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, Dong Ting Bi Luo Chun features expansive Taihu Lake, rippling emerald waters, and vast mist-covered waves. Dong Ting Mountain, situated on the lakeshore, boasts a temperate climate, abundant rainfall, and fertile soil. The environment nurtures tea trees exceptionally well. Meticulous plucking and craftsmanship have created its distinctive quality traits.
Duyun Maojian
One of China’s Ten Famous Teas, Duyun Maojian is cultivated in Duyun City, belonging to the Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou Province. The tea exhibits tightly rolled slender strips, green in color. It possesses a high, clear aroma, rich flavor, and a uniformly bright and tender green leaf base. Duyun Maojian is characterized by its “three shades of green and transparency”: the dry tea presents a greenish-yellow hue, the infusion appears transparent green, and the base of the leaves showcases a greenish-yellow color.
Wuyi Rock Tea
A type of oolong tea hailed as the “king of tea” among oolong varieties in China, Wuyi Rock Tea originates from the majestic Wuyi Mountains in Fujian, known for its tea trees growing within rock crevices. Combining the fragrance of green tea and the mellowness of black tea, it stands as one of China’s top ten famous teas. Wuyi Rock Tea is a semi-fermented oolong, crafted using a processing method that sits between green and black tea techniques, with Da Hong Pao being a globally renowned variant.
Da Hong Pao
The legend of Da Hong Pao tells of a scholar who, falling ill during his journey to take the imperial examinations, was cured by tea provided by an old monk from Tianxin Temple. Later, the scholar attained the top position in the exams and was appointed as an imperial official. In gratitude, he visited the Wu Yi Mountains with the monk, discovering three towering tea trees with radiant, purple-red buds on the cliffside, which became known as Da Hong Pao.
Qimen Black Tea
A renowned black tea, commonly known as Qihong, is produced in the Qimen County area of the southwestern region of Huangshan, Anhui Province. The local tea trees thrive in fertile red and yellow soil, benefiting from a moderate climate, adequate rainfall, and suitable sunlight. As a result, the tender leaves boast high water-soluble content, particularly in August when the quality of the harvest peaks.
Yongxi Huoqing
Yongxi Huoqing, a type of pearl tea, once belonged to China’s top ten famous teas. Originating from the Ming Dynasty and produced in the areas of Fengkeng, Pankeng, Shijingkeng, and Xiaoshikeng in Yongxi Village, located 70 kilometers east of Jingxian County, Anhui Province. In the Qing Dynasty, Yongxi Huoqing was already a tribute tea. The tea boasts a distinctive appearance, with fine, tender, dense grains, displaying a lustrous dark green color with abundant silver hairs.
Taiping Houkui
Taiping Houkui is a traditional famous tea, one of China’s historical teas belonging to the category of pointed teas. It originates from Taiping County in Anhui (now Huangshan City, Huangshan District), considered an exceptional type among pointed teas, earning widespread acclaim. The tea leaves, featuring two leaves embracing a bud, are flat and straight, naturally extending with concealed white fuzz. It is commonly described as having no curling or fraying at the edges. Taiping Houkui’s precursor is commonly believed to be “Taiping pointed tea.” It was awarded the title of “Green Tea King” at the International Tea Expo in 2004.
Pu’er Tea
Pu’er tea is divided into raw and ripe categories. Raw Pu’er refers to freshly picked tea leaves naturally aged without undergoing artificial fermentation or pile-fermentation processes. Various Yunnan teas—such as cake tea, brick tea, and tuocha tea, with cake tea being the earliest—undergo processing to shape them. (another topic: 6 Types of People Unsuitable for Drinking Pu-erh Tea)
Jasmine Tea
Jasmine Tea, also known as Jasmine Fragrant Tea, belongs to the floral tea category and has a history spanning over 1000 years. Produced in Fuzhou City and northeastern Fujian Province, its fusion of tea and jasmine fragrances has earned it the reputation of “the unparalleled aroma of jasmine tea in the world.”
