China - Tea by Origin
Country Statistics & Tea Overview
Our China Origin Teas:
Black Teas:
BOP (bulk pack) – Item: 5001 – Standard Min: 99Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Anhui, China. Black BOP blend primarily used for iced tea, this standard has been the base tea for many flavored and straight teas for over 30 years. Its non-clouding properties and dark red color make this an ideal iced tea or basic "restaurant" tea. The leaf, which is small and clean, has been specially designed for use in commercial iced tea machines.FOP (bulk pack) – Item: 5002 – Standard Min: 68Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Anhui, China. Black whole leaf blend tea. The dry leaf is dark black, partially open and attractive. With its neutral cup, this tea is ideal as a base for flavored tea. Because this tea does not cloud, it has become the most popular flavored iced tea base.Keemun Hao Ya “A”, Congou – Item: 5020 – Standard Min: 10Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Anhui, China. Congou, pronounced "Kon-goo," is a general name for all non-broken, well-made, black Chinese teas, although many people now use the term for broken teas as well. Due to its superb bouquet, this north China black tea is often referred to as the "burgundy of teas." This full-bodied, sweet liquoring tea produces a dark red cup. Keemun is considered by many to be one of the best China black teas. It makes an excellent "English Breakfast" and is useful for ice tea, in that it does not cloud easily. Its basic character lends itself to aging. Hao Ya “A” is the fanciest Keemun available and recommended as only a self-drinking tea that is to be enjoyed on its own exceptional merits.Keemun, Congou 1st Grade – Item: 5021 – Standard Min: 10Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Anhui, China. 1st Grade is the highest commercial quality leaf.Keemun, Congou Quality 1 – Item: 5022 – Standard Min: 81Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Anhui, China. Quality 1 Keemun Congou is a classic Keemun in all respects with a very uniform, medium-sized wiry leaf.Keemun, Congou Quality 2 – Item: 5023 – Standard Min: 72Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Anhui, China. Quality 2 Keemun Congou is offers a well-made leaf with a strong cup that provides good quality with a very affordable price.Yunnan Black FOP – Item: 5042 – Standard Min: 61Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Yunnan, China. Yunnan tea is from the province of the same name bordering Vietnam, Laos and Burma. The area is very mountainous and an indigenous area of tea. Tea bushes grown in this area produce a very thick, glossy, broad leaf. Grown elsewhere, the same bush will produce a typical "China Leaf" look, which is narrow, thin and dull in comparison. Teas from Yunnan range from typical black teas to amazingly colorful, "tippy" teas. Most have a "peppery" quality that is distinctively Yunnan. Yunnan teas are relatively new, as far as Chinese production efforts, having only been in commercial production since 1949. It offers a strong brisk cup with spicy overtones and a lovely gold/black colored leaf.Rose Coungou – Item: 5051 – Standard Min: 72Lbs [Kosher, Scented]
Origin: Guangdong, China. Rose Congou is a black whole well-made OP leaf scented in the same manner as Jasmine. It has a heavy, sweet cup with a distinct rose fragrance. The nose of the cup is much stronger than the taste. The rose petals, like Jasmine are merely for decoration. By the time the tea is ready for packing, the petals have lost all of their fragrance to the tea. Unlike Jasmine, fewer petals in the tea do not relate to a higher quality. Rose Congou is shipped directly to the U.S. through the Chinese port of Fuzhou. This is the same port famous for its exports of jasmine tea.Lychee Congou – Item: 5052 – Standard Min: 72Lbs [Flavored]
Origin: Guangdong, China. Also has a base of black whole OP leaf and is scented with the essence of the lychee fruit. This tea has a natural, sweet and very aromatic character.
Green Teas:
Dong Bei – Item: 5130 – Standard Min: 5Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Dong Yang, Zheijang, China. This tea is produced in the Dong Yang County of the Zhejiang Province in the South Central part of mainland China. The mountainous area of Dong Bei is at an approximate elevation of 2,500 feet above sea level. This fine tea is picked and processed during the spring (April and May) as the tea bushes are coming out of their winter dormancy.Sencha – Item: 5136 – Standard Min: 52Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Zheijang, China. This Chinese interpretation of the Japanese classic green offers a nice comparison with the traditional flat natural whole shiny leaf and a mild delicious cup.Sencha Decaff – Item: 1349 – Standard Min: 66Lbs [CO2]
Origin: China. The base tea is a China Green "Sencha-style" leaf. The CO2 process is most obvious on this leaf style in that finished product maintains the original leaf appearance and green cup quality.Lung Ching/Dragon Well 1st Grade – Item: 5121 – Standard Min: 11Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Hangzhou, China. Lung Ching translated means Dragon's Well. The legend of its name comes from a story around 250 AD when the farmers of the Hangzhou region had been praying for rain and discovered a dragon lurking near a spring in the hills. They implored the dragon to come to their rescue. Instantly, clouds came rushing in from all sides and poured forth timely rain. On this account, the temple adjoining the spring is known as Dragon's Well Monastery, and the tea derives its name from the same legend. The finest Lung Ching is produced only near the beautiful West Lake of Hangzhou. The leaf is remarkably flat and smooth and is slick to the touch. Dragon Well gives a light emerald liquor with a most intriguing vegetative aroma and mellow, sweet taste.Lung Ching/Dragon Well 3rd Grade – Item: 5123 – Standard Min: 11 or 44Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Hangzhou, China. This 3rd Grade offers a full sweet cup from the panfired leaf.Lung Ching/Dragon Well 4th Grade – Item: 5124 – Standard Min: 44Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Hangzhou, China. This 4th Grade provides the classic China green tea taste.Gunpowder Special Imperial Grade – Item: 5100 – Standard Min: 44Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Zheijang, China. Gunpowder tea gets its name from the appearance of the leaves, which are rolled tightly into small, round pellets ranging from Pinhead to Pea Leaf. The smaller the roll, the more expensive the tea. The tight roll helps Gunpowder remain fresher, longer than other teas. The cup is of medium body.Gunpowder #1 Grade – Item: 5101 – Standard Min: 44Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Zhejiang, China. The round tight roll provides a crisp green flavor.Yunwu/Cloud Mist – Item: 5125 – Standard Min: 44Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: China. This whole leaf classic green has a wonderfully light and clean cup.Chun Mee/Moon Palace – Item: 41022A – Standard Min: 79Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Jiangxi, China. The shape of the processed leaves gives the name Chun Mee to this more popular "Eyebrow" tea. Several Eyebrow teas are produced in China's Jiangxi province. Chun Mee, meaning Precious Eyebrow, is made using time-honored methods with a large metal wok. Great skill is required to achieve the right shape. Temperature, length of time and coordination of hand movements must be well synchronized to produce the fine, tight, eyebrow-shaped leaves, which have been likened to a work of art. The twisted leaf is attractive and the liquor is golden with a mellow, plum-like flavor with a medium bodied cup.Wuyuan Fannings (bulk pack) – Item: 4157 – Standard Min: 99Lbs [Kosher, Fair Trade Optional]
Origin: Xiaxi, Jiangxi, China. This green tea is cut for tea bags and offers a great specialty tea alternative for iced or hot tea with a mild taste.Fannings (bulk pack) – Item: R912610 – Standard Min: 88Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: China. This green tea is cut for tea bags and provides a strong green cup with a very bright green liquor.Lapsang Souchong – Item: 5050 – Standard Min: 61Lbs [Kosher, Scented]
Origin: Fujian, China. This jet black roughly twisted leaf will be a tea you will always remember. This is one of the original scented teas. It is the famous smoked tea of the orient. Burning green pine roots in the final drying process produces the sharp smell and tarry flavor. Although it is shocking to the nose, its flavor is more subtle and reminiscent of pipe tobacco. Often used in Russian Caravan blends. The leaf is long and open; and it provides a mild, smooth yet smoky taste.Jasmine Yin Hao 1st Grade – Item: 5202 – Standard Min: 22Lbs [Kosher, Scented]
Origin: Fujian, China. Jasmine tea is the oldest of all scented teas. Its base is a Pouchong tea, slightly less oxidized than oolong tea. As the tea is being dried with hot air, fresh Jasmine petals are placed in front of the fans. When the petals fragrance has been exhausted, the spent petals are placed in the base tea. Contrary to popular belief, the finest, sweetest grades contain fewer petals. The world's finest Jasmines come from the China province of Fujian. The cup has a smooth fragrance of a garden in bloom, with a liquor that is lightly sweet and very smooth. This 1st Grade Jasmine is a rare sweet treat.Jasmine Special – Item: 5221/5222/5223 – Standard Min: 22Lbs/66Lbs/57Lbs [Kosher, Scented]
Origin: Fuzhou, China. Classic scented China green tea from Fuzhou with Jasmine petals use a Pouchong Leaf.Dragon Phoenix Pearl Jasmine – Item: 5201 – Standard Min: 11Lbs [Kosher, Scented]
Origin: Funding, Fujian, China. Tea enriched with the fragrance of jasmine flowers has been a favorite since the Sung Dynasty, about 800 years ago. Dragon Phoenix Pearl gets its name from the visual characteristics of the tea bushes "climbing" the hillsides like a Dragon coming out of the water. The tea is grown in an area in Fuding City near the border of the Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. The area is mountainous and is often shrouded in clouds or fog. The tea is picked in April/May and processed by hand by rolling each leaf and a bud into tiny pearl size balls. Once rolled, the tea is wrapped in silk mesh and dried by fire to set the form. The tea is then held until August/September when the finest jasmine blossoms are in bloom. The jasmine flowers are picked before noon and set-aside until evening when the petals begin to open in the cool night air. Once open, the "marrying" of the jasmine to the tea happens in two applications after which the jasmine petals are removed. According to analysis done by Chinese researchers, Dragon Phoenix Pearl has a higher concentration of Vitamin C and Amino Acids than other teas. This is unquestionably one of the finest jasmines shipped from the port of Fuzhou.
Oolong Teas:
Ancient Beauty Jasmine – Item: 533211 – Standard Min: 5Lbs [Organic, Fair Trade]
Origin: Jing Mai Mt., Yunnan, China. In Yunnan, likely the most culturally diverse province of China, you find in the Southern tip equa-distant from Laos, Burma and Vietnam the Jing Mai Mountains and its’ wild forest of ancient tea trees. This forest is a national treasure made of trees 1000 years old. The Bulang and Dai hill tribes have enjoyed the area’s teas for more than 1300 years. The particular jat of these tea trees is called Yunnan Da Yeh or Yunnan Broad Leaf and being wild they are unspoiled by machine or chemical cultivation. This is a unique tea that is also certified Fair Trade, 100% Organic and supports an indigenous natural heritage. The tea’s tippy base is unusual as a pairing for jasmine but works wonderfully; to find a heavily oxidized Oolong based jasmine tea is unique. This tea yields a beautiful caramel colored liquor and provides an uncommonly smooth and sweet base that balances with, but is not over-powered by the rich jasmine taste.Magnolia Oolong – Item: 5143 – Standard Min: 11Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Fujian, China. The oxidation of this base tea is between 20–25%, making this a very green and sweet Oolong. The tight roll is reminiscent of Tung Ting Oolong from Formosa. This tea is scented in the same manner as Jasmine teas but with Magnolia petals. It is from the Fujian province of China.Ti Kwan Yin – Item: 5141 – Standard Min: 45Lbs/11Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Fujian, China. Ti Kwan Yin loosely translated means Iron Goddess of Mercy. Produced in the Mt. Wu Yi Shan region, Fujian (Fukien) province, China's oolong teas tend to be more heavy and full-bodied, compared to their Formosa counterparts. Most recently this tea has been called “Wu-Long” by some purveyors. The tea bushes from which these oolongs are picked are short, spreading shrubs with glossy, dark green leaves with curling, serrated edges. The tightly twisted leaves produce an aromatic, amber liquor that has an invigorating, full-bodied sweet taste with a long-lingering aftertaste.
White Teas:
Pekoe – Item: 5151 – Standard Min: 11Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Fujian, China. White tea is a class unto itself. It is neither steamed nor oxidized and comes mainly from the Fujian province. Our white tea is from a small two acre garden in a hilly/mountainous region of the North Fujian province. The garden is approximately 3,500 feet above sea level. A delicate light green and white leaf, this tea is picked and produced in late March. Most white teas are very attractive but have little flavor. Not this one. This flashy leaf tea produces a mild sweet cup.Bai Mu Tan – Item: 5152 – Standard Min: 22Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: China. Literally translated as “White Peony”, the pale orange-yellow liquor pleases the eye while the delicate sweet cup delights the palate.White Fannings (bulk pack) – Item: 5153 – Standard Min: 110Lbs [Kosher, 100% Organic]
Origin: China. Specially selected for tea bags this organic tea offers an amber liquor with a neutral cup.
Pu-erh Teas:
Mini Tuo Cha “Bird’s Nest” – Item: 8888 – Standard Min: 11Lbs (160 wrapped tea balls per pound) [Kosher]
Origin: Yunnan, China. Named for the county in Yunnan province, China where the tea originated from and is still produced, Pu-erh represents one of the tea industries most unusual products. It is the only tea that is specifically processed to age; highly sought Pu-erhs are decades to a century old. Famed for its medicinal properties it is often taken for relief of indigestion. Recent modern medical tests have linked it to a reduction in cholesterol, which has made it popular in France. The aging processes changes the compounds in the leaf and over time it decaffeinates naturally. It can be loose leaf, but is often marketed in pressed cakes or bowls. Pu-erh is very special because of a unique combination of factors. It is an unusual large-leaf variety, it enjoys special growing conditions in the climate and soil of the Yunnan mountains and it is semi-oxidized, but for a longer time than oolong. The taste of Pu-erh will range from mild and earthy to a complex, deep, malty or starchy flavor. Pu-erh is known for maintaining flavor through multiple infusions.
Tea Bricks:
Hubei Tea Bricks Large – Item: HB01 – Standard Min: 20Bricks [Kosher]
Origin: Hubei, China. Tea Bricks are produced by the same method used by the Chinese Ancients, to facilitate the transportation of their valued commodity by camel trains into Mongolia and Tibet. The Chinese are credited with being the earliest bankers – using notes and coins long before Western culture came into being. However, far-inland tribes had little use for paper money and used "Tea Money" for both bartering and consumption. It is said to be the earliest form of currency. Improved over the years with various designs impressed front and back, they are probably of more interest as an item of decoration and conversation than for brewing. Each brick is approximately 9.5”x7.25"x1" and weighs 2.5 pounds.Hubei Tea Bricks Small – Item: HB02 – Standard Min: 20Bricks [Kosher]
Origin: Hubei, China. Each ornamental brick is approximately 7.5”x4.5”x1" and weighs 1.2 pounds.
Country Statistics:
Area: 3,601,00 sq miles (9,326,000 sq. km)
Capital: Beijing
Main Cities: Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang
Languages: Mandarin, Shanghaiese, Cantonese, Fukienese, Tibetan, Vigus
Religions: Confucianism, Buddhist, Taoist
Overview of China’s Tea Production
The countryside of China boasts some of the most beautiful tea gardens in the world. Tea gardens often characterized by their small size and lack of processing facilities, must transport their picked leaf across miles of unimproved roads using antiquated transportation. Daily pickings during the height of the production season require trips to off-site tea factories daily. Yet, even without modern conveniences and updated processing, China continues to amaze the world with thousands of tons of tea each year.
Tea is cultivated in 18 of China's 24 provinces ranging in altitude from 300 to 7,000 feet above sea level with a majority of the tea crop concentrated in the southeast provinces of Yunnan, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hunan, Fujian, Sichuan and Guangdong. The province of Zhejiang is the leading producer for China with 21% of the total production for the country. This same province was responsible for 45% of the world's green tea production in 1990.
China produces the greatest variety of tea; green, black, oolong, brick, white, yellow and pu-erh are all produced in marketable quantities. In fact China is the world's largest producer of all types of tea except black tea. The majority of the crops are concentrated in the south east of China in the provinces of Yunnan, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hunan, Fujian, Sichuan, Guangdong, Hubie, Jiangxi, Guangxi Zhuang (the last three having considerably less than the previous).
Most of China's tea production remained completely hand-processed until the Cultural Revolution of the 1970s. This period is marked by the building of large, mechanized tea factories and an increase in land dedicated to tea gardens. China's tea production jumped dramatically. Between 1979 and 1989 tea production increased 93%. Today's tea production is 10 times the quantity produced in 1970. Green tea accounts for 71% of all China's production. In 1996 China's green tea production accounted for 73% of the world volume in that category.
Zhejiang is the leading producer in China at around 20% and the world’s largest exporter of green tea (45% approximately of world trade as of 1990). Zhejiang’s most well known for producing Gunpowder, Mei Longjing and green leaf scented Jasmines.
Fujian, during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), served as the heartland of China’s tea production. This rich heritage of tea production offers many kinds of tea: lapsang souchong, white tea, black tea, and green tea.
Anhui province provides the world with Keemun of the finest black teas. It also produces Ichang, a small leaf black tea with a “metallic”, delicate smoky flavor and a large quantity of green tea.
Yunnan (literally ‘cloud south’) has a history of tea cultivation from the second century AD. Many special teas are produced here: Pu-erhs, pressed teas, Oolongs, blacks and a few greens and scented teas.
Hunan has a 2000 year tea production history and is now the second largest producer of the provinces in China. While various teas have been produced, compressed teas are very prevalent.
Jiangxi is predominately a green tea producer, which accounts for 80% of their output. Also some blacks, compressed teas and scented teas (Jasmine for the domestic market) are also produced.
