Tea was discovered in China many centuries ago. What is known as Chinese tea today is tea that has been processed with ancient Chinese methods. In China, it is thought to be one of the seven necessities of life.

Most people do not know that Chinese tea is not exported from China except to small Chinese communities in other parts of the world. There are four common tea categories known as black, oolong, green and white, but they are all derived from the same plant. The main tea used in China is green tea.

Within the four main categories of tea, there are 700 to 1000 different varieties. Some of these are derived from different strains of the Camellia sinensis plant. Others get their differences from the local growing conditions. Most of the variations, however, come from the different ways the tea leaves are processed once they are harvested.

The tender tea shoots that are picked in the springtime make the highest grades of tea. The Chinese even have a science as to which leaves are best. These may be the end bud on a shoot, a bud with a leaf next to it or a bud with two leaves next to it that are not completely unfurled. The leaves must be the same length as the buds or shorter.

Interestingly, each Chinese dynasty grew different types of tea. In the earlier dynasties tea was used as a medicine and the leaves were eaten as a vegetable. During the Tang dynasty, it became a state monopoly, and penalties were placed upon anyone who was caught growing it illegally.

The Song Dynasty made tea become very popular. It was grown in 242 of the counties in China. During this period, they began to press the tea into cakes, and it was often embossed with patterns of the Phoenix or a dragon.

The Chinese have a number of tea drinking customs. The younger generation uses tea as a sign of respect for the older generation. If an older person comes to visit, they are always offered a cup of tea. When grown children leave home, they may seldom come home to visit. In China, families get together in restaurants on Sundays to drink a cup of tea together and visit with each other.

Tea can be used in China to apologize, to say thank you to your elders on your wedding day and to connect a large family at a wedding. Regardless of the reason it is used, Chinese tea is an important part of the Chinese culture. It really has a language all of its own.