Chinese teapots and tea cups are the art of drinking and serving tea, which many call as “Chinese tea ceremony” plays a very vital role in China.  In fact, the ritual of preparing tea has held a special place in the hearts and minds of the Chinese.

Although the ceremony emphasizes the tea, the overall style of tea drinking is still of great importance.  Chinese teapots and tea cups are highly needed and each piece plays a role distinct from the other.

Speaking of Chinese teapots, I guess nothing is more suitable for a wonderful tea experience than the original Chinese teapot – the Yixing. Usually pronounced “E-ching”, these collectible pots are so charming and can be starkly simple with designs that are thousands of years old.

Many people even claimed that these teapots are whimsical, being shaped like lotus flowers and with Buddhas and pre-Majolica subjects like vegetables, fruits or animals.

The contemporary Yixing Chinese teapots come in different shapes.  The most common shapes are chairs, wheelbarrows, and other unusual styles that never fail to bring smile to one’s face.

Probably you are familiar with the Chinese saying, “Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and type of Chinese tea are the seven necessities to begin a day.”  Though tea is last on the list, we can still see how important the tea is for the Chinese.

There are actually thousands type of Chinese tea varieties. These are usually classified by procedure, quality, and preparation methods and so on. However, if we will consider tea in terms of quality, there are actually eight classes of Chinese tea.

These include green tea, oolong, black, red, white, yellow, flower, and compressed tea.

Now, let’s take a look at these classes one by one.

Green Tea

Green tea is said to be the most natural type of Chinese tea.  It is usually picked, naturally dried and fried briefly to get rid of its grassy smell.  Unlike the other types, green tea skipped fermentation process.

According to some experts, green tea has the most medicinal value and the least caffeine content of all Chinese tea classes.  The aroma of this type of Chinese type range from medium to high, while the flavor is usually light to medium.  Today, about 50% of China’s tea is green tea.

Heard about Triple Leaf tea?  Have you tasted one of the Triple Leaf’s Chinese dieters’ teas?  If so, then great!  Well, in this article, I will discuss mainly the three famous Chinese dieters’ teas of Triple Leaf.

I am considering this brand of tea for the reason that they are now widely distributed and many people have claimed that they’re one-of-the-best.  Let’s find out what makes these Chinese dieters’ teas great.

Triple Leaf Tea Background

Triple Leaf is in the first place a Chinese-American family owned business.  They blend Chinese dieters’ teas using a combination of the ancient Chinese herbal formulas with the input of modern day Chinese herbalists who are trained in traditional healing herbalism.

With this kind of approach, Triple Leaf is able to produce a result that is the creation of delicious healing teas that meet the modern-day needs.

As claimed, the herbs you find in their formulas are those that used in China by the Chinese herbalists. You may recognize some of the herbs as the renowned Chinese herbs, while others are less well-known in the West but prized in the Orient.

Have you tasted Chinese green tea?  As you all know, green tea is the most popular types of Chinese tea.  Many people, not only Chinese, consider it as the best drink for sultry summers.  The main reason for this claim is the fact that green tea is cool and fights off inflammation.   Many have even claimed that it relieves fever.

Actually, the health benefits of Chinese green tea have been known throughout the world.  The Chinese have known about these medicinal benefits since ancient times, as they have been using green tea to treat everything from headaches to depression.

A writer named Nadine Taylor in her book Green Tea: the Natural Secret for a Healthier Life mentioned that green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years.

These days, numerous scientific researches conducted both in Asia and the West is providing hard evidences for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea.

To mention, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study in 1994, indicating that drinking Chinese green tea lowers the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly 60 percent.

The Chinese wedding tea ceremony tradition is in the first place as varied and complex as China is vast.  Throughout the ages, it has evolved and changed due to a myriad of regional and cultural influences.

However, although several adjustments occur and more and more Chinese opt for modernity, the most popular Chinese wedding tea ceremony still exists. It is still being practiced by the Han Chinese in the south of the country.

The Chinese wedding tea ceremony is usually considered when the bride arrive the groom’s home. The bride and the groomwill gather before the parents and the immediate relatives and the bride will serve tea for his in-laws.

The type of tea that can be used during the Chinese wedding tea ceremony usually range from oolong tea to jasmine tea. This ceremony takes place on the day of the wedding itself.

After the serving of the tea, the guests (usually the parents first) would then give their approval to the couple and they would respond by giving them red packets. These red packets contain money to wish the couple a blissful life ahead.

Tea has long been part of the Chinese culture.  For the Chinese tea history, tea is one of the seven necessities to begin a day.

Well, China is obviously the homeland of tea. According to some Chinese tea history resources, it was in the southwest part of the country that the tea was first found.

Legend has it that the God of Agriculture (GoA) was said to be the one who found the tea. He was one of the prehistoric representatives of Chinese people. It was stated in the GoA’s Book of Herbs that GoA personally tasted hundreds of herb.

In the single day, he was hit by 72 poisons. But, he discovered the tea tree and used the tea leaves to neutralize all poisons. For many people, this is probably the earliest record of tea among the Chinese.

The Evolution of Chinese tea history

As often noted in some Chinese tea history resources, the Chinese tea has been around for thousands of years, approximately 4,000 years. It was first discovered and used as a medicine, and then it evolved into a beverage, and later became a major part of the Chinese culture.

For long years, Chinese teas have been considered as weight loss aide. In fact, drinking a cup of Chinese weight loss tea with every meal is considered a protocol for using tea successfully as a metabolic stimulant.

As you may know, tea by itself carries only four calories per serving, and it is most healthy when taken with nothing added.

According to some experts, the Chinese weight loss teas are produced based on the belief that the caffeine in tea increases body function to help burn more calories.  Also believed is that the tea contains polyphenols which seem to aid in the digestion of fat, truly making it a Chinese weight loss tea.

Generally, all types of Chinese tea are deemed great for weight loss. Chinese weight loss teas all offer a low calorie alternative to commercial beverages. However, the Pu-erh and Oolong teas have received the most attention regarding weight loss. Let’s take a look at these two well-known Chinese weight loss teas.

Pu-erh Chinese weight loss Tea

Although green tea has gotten all the press, the pu-erh teas are finally being enjoyed in the West. This is because many have believed that pu-erh, which is also known as “medicinal tea” in China, merits a place among the tea shelves of Americans.

Generally, Chinese white teas are considered to be the rare in China.  They are rare in China since most of the white tea is exported.  Well, for long years, the Chinese tea drinkers have been hip to white tea’s benefits, until recently it was virtually unknown outside of Asia.

But, not anymore because today, everyone from chefs to medical researchers is praising the delicate flavor and purported health benefits of the Chinese white tea.

But what really is Chinese white tea?

Chinese white tea is sometimes considered as a subclass of green tea.   It is slightly fermented with its body covered with fluffy white hair.

It is usually harvested in the cold of earliest spring when tea bushes have just shed their protective scales on the tips of their branches to show to the world their fuzzy white down on the leaf buds.

These delicate buds are among the most carefully plucked and processed of all teas.   The buds, as well as the first few unfurling leaves are not allowed to oxidize whatsoever.

What happens is that immediately after picking, the buds are naturally dried in sunlight or inside under low heat in a very well-ventilated structure.

Chinese has been drinking tea for approximately 4,000 years. Along with firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar, the Chinese considered Chinese tea as one of the seven necessities to begin a day.

Types of Chinese Tea

The Chinese tea may be classified into five types according to the different methods by which it is processed.  Here are the classifications:

• Green Tea – is the variety which keeps the original color of the tea leaves without fermentation during processing.
• Black Tea – This is known as “red Chinese tea”, the type which is fermented before baking.   Note also that black tea is a later variety developed on the basis of the green tea.
• Wulong Tea – Also known as Oolong Chinese tea, this category represents a variety half way between the green and the black teas.  This is being made after partial fermentation.
• Compressed Tea – is the kind of Chinese tea which is compressed and hardened into a certain shape.  Many people considered this as good for transport and storage and are mainly supplied to the ethnic minorities living in the border areas of the country.

You probably all know that the Chinese tea set essential for tea making. Tea is highly considered by Chinese as one of the necessities to start a day.  Well, it is a very important part of the Chinese culture.   They have drunk tea since time immemorial and so they have a wide range of knowledge and experience with tea and tea making.

Speaking of tea making, it is interesting to know that there are some very important steps involved in tea making.   One of those is choosing the right Chinese tea set.

Choosing the right or appropriate tea sets is said to be very crucial in the tea preparation.   In particular, it holds a very vital role in brewing tea.

Now, what composes a Chinese tea set?

Basically, the Chinese tea sets are referred to as tea pots, tea saucers, tea bowls, and tea trays.  Today, there are different forms and types of Chinese tea sets that have certain characteristics and designs.   Because of this, the tea sets are considered a very necessary part of artistry.