Of the three major beverages of he world-tea, coffee and cocoa-tea is consumed by the largest number of people.

    Chin is the homeland of tea. It is believed that China has tea-shrubs as early as five to six thousand years ago, and human cultivation of tea plants dates back two thousand years. Tea from China, along with her silk and porcelain, began to be known the world over more than a thousand years ago and has since always been an important Chinese export. At present more than forty countries in the world grow tea with Asian countries producing 90% of the world¡¯s total output. All tea trees in other countries have their origin directly or indirectly in China. The world for tea leaves or tea as a drink in many countries are derivatives from the Chinese character ¡°cha¡±. The Russians call it ¡°cha¡¯i¡±, which sounds like ¡°chaye¡± (tea leaves) as it is pronounced in northern China, and the English word ¡°tea¡± sounds similar to the pronunciation of its counterpart in Xiamen(Amoy). The Japanese character for tea is written exactly the same as it is in Chinese, though pronounced with a slight difference. The habit of tea drinking spread to Japan in the 6th century, but it was not introduced to Europe and America till the 17th and 18th centuries. Now the number of tea drinkers in the world is legion and is still on the increase.

2. The Categories of Tea 

Chinese tea may be classified into five categories according to the different methods by which it is processed.

1. Green Tea: Green tea is the variety which keeps the original color of the tea leaves without fermentation during processing. This category consists mainly of Longjing tea of Zhejiang Province, Maofeng tea of Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province and biluochun produced produce in Jiangsu.
2. Black tea: Black tea, known as ¡°res tea¡± (hong cha) in China, is the category which is fermented before baking; it is a later variety developed on the basis of the green tea. The best brands of black tea are Qihong of Anhui, Dianhong of Yunnan, Suhong of Jiangsu, Chuanhong of Sichuan and Huhong of Hunan.
3. Wulong tea: This represents a variety half way between the green and the black teas, being make after partial fermentation. It is a specialty from the provinces on China¡¯s southeast coast: Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan.
4. Compressed tea: This is the kind of tea which is compressed and hardened into a certain shape. It is good for transport and storage and is mainly supplied to the ethnic minorities living in the border areas of the country. As compressed tea in black in color in its commercial form, so it is also known in China as ¡°black tea¡±. Most of the compressed tea is in the form of bricks; it is, therefore, generally called ¡°brick tea¡±, though it is sometimes also in the form of cakes and fowls. It is mainly produced in Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan and Yuanan provinces. 
5. Scented tea: This kind of tea is made by mixing fragrant flowers in the tea leaves in the course of processing. The flowers commonly used for this purpose are jasmine and magnolia among others. Jasmine tea is a well-known favorite with the northerners of China and with a growing number of foreigners.

3. Advantages of Tea-Drinking

    Tea has been one of the daily necessities in China since time immemorial. Countless numbers of people like to have their after meal cup of tea.

    In summer or warm climate, tea seems to dispel the heat and bring on instant cool together with a feeling of relaxation. For this reason, tea-houses abound in towns and market villages in South China and provide elderly retirees with the locales to meet and chat over a cup of tea. 

    Medically, the tea leaf contains a number of chemicals, of which 20-30% is tannic-acid, known for its anti-inflammatory and germicidal properties. It also contains an alkaloid (5%, mainly caffeine), a stimulant for the nerve centre and the process of metabolism. Tea with the aromatics in it may help resolve meat and fat and thus promote digestion. It is, therefore, of special importance to people who live mainly on meat, like many of the ethnic minorities in China. A popular proverb among them says. ¡°Rather go without tea for a single day.¡± 

    Tea is also rich in various vitamins and, for smokers, it helps to discharge nicotine out of the system. After wining, strong tea may prove to be a sobering pick-me-up. The above, however, does not go to say that stronger the tea, the more advantages it will yield. Too much tannic acid will affect the secretion of the gastric juice, irritate the membrane of the stomach and cause indigestion or constipation. Strong tea taken just before bedtime will give rise to occasional insomnia. Constant drinking of over-strong tea may induce heart and blood-pressure disorders in some people, reduce the milk of a brown color on the teeth of young people. But it is not difficult to ward off these undesirable effects: just don¡¯t make your tea too strong.