China

China

The Chinese Middle Empire is generally considered as the home of tea. The province Yunnan is classifi ed as the birthplace of tea within the former empire. The world‘s biggest tea producing country is, at the same time, one of the most fascinating. The many mountain provinces of central and southern China are the origin of countless green and black teas, e.g. Chun Mee, Gunpowder, Jasmine, Keemun, Lapsang Souchong, Lichee, Rose Congou and Yunnan.

The provinces Zhejiang in the southeast of the country, famous for its Gunpowder “Temple of Heaven”, and Fujian, located to the southwest of Zhejiang, belong to the classical and most important tea growing regions. Fujian is known as the country of the traditional Chinese Jasmine tea culture. Apart from these well-known teas from regions such as Zhejian, Anhui, Yunnan, Fujian and Jianxi, we are pleased that many small plantations and family-run farms are again offering their exquisite specialities to the Western market after the opening of China.

A specific characteristic of the Chinese teas is that they are not sold under garden names such as, e.g., in Darjeeling or in Assam, but are often given creative, flowery names which describe the special appearance or the original plantation: Chun Mee is designated as “valuable brow”, Lung Ching means “dragon‘s well”.