The “Ten Famous Chinese Teas” (中国十大名茶)
There are a myriad of Chinese tea varieties and a human brain can only remember so much information. This is where a list of the “best”, the “rarest” or, in this case, the “most famous” comes in handy. It is not clear when the first list of the “Ten Famous Chinese Teas” was compiled; but it seems to be a product of modern rationalism and its urge for classification. Of course it is impossible to create the ultimate list and many competing lists exist. The following teas are the ones that are mentioned most often. They are more than ten, since this article is meant as a synthesis rather than another new list:
| Pinyin | Chinese name | Colour typology | Province |
| Biluochun | 碧螺春 | Green | Jiangsu |
| Huangshan Maofeng | 黄山毛峰 | Green | Anhui |
| Xihu Longjing | 西湖龙井 | Green | Zhejiang |
| Lu’an Guapian | 六安瓜片 | Green | Anhui |
| Junshan Yinzhen | 君山银针 | Yellow | Hunan |
| Tie Guanyin | 铁观音 | Dark Green | Fujian |
| Qimen Hongcha | 祁门红茶 | Red | Anhui |
| Xinyang Maojian | 信阳毛尖 | Green | Henan |
| Wuyi Yancha | 武夷岩茶 | Dark Green | Fujian |
| Duyun Maojian | 都匀毛尖 | Green | Guizhou |
| Lushan Yunwu | 庐山云雾 | Green | Jiangxi |
| Mengding Ganlu | 蒙顶甘露 | Green | Sichuan |
| Pu’er | 普洱 | Black | Yunnan |
| Baihao Yinzhen | 白毫银针 | White | Fujian |
Obviously there are many more well-known Chinese teas. However, the teas listed above have two attributes that make them stand out among the innumerable teas of high quality and refined taste and that justify their presence on a list of the “most famous”: their notoriety reaches over the regional level and they have a history and tradition that makes them a cultural as well as a consumption good. Lu’an Guapian and Junshan Yinzhen, for example, are mentioned under an older name in the great 18th century novel Dream of the Red Chamber (红楼梦).
Chinese Sources: “中国十大名茶”历史沿革; 中国十大名茶; 中国的“十大名茶”有n种说法
Among the so-called “Ten Famous Chinese Teas”, which do you prefer? Take our poll.
