6 tipos de té chino

The six main types of Chinese tea are green, white, yellow, oolong, black and dark tea. They are distinguished by how the leaves are processed, rather than simply by the colour of the finished drink.

One naming detail makes a big difference: hong cha (红茶) is black tea in English, although its Chinese name means “red tea”. Hei cha (黑茶) is dark tea, a different category associated with microbial fermentation. Keeping those two names separate makes Chinese tea much easier to explore.

Six types of Chinese tea at a glance

Oxidation and microbial fermentation are different processes. Older descriptions often use “fermentation” for both, but the distinction helps explain why black tea and dark tea belong to different categories.

Ready to taste the differences? Explore our Chinese teas, or start with the Huang Shan tea sample pack. Check its current options to see which teas are included.

Té verde – 绿茶

Green tea is heated early in processing to limit oxidation. It is then shaped and dried.

This early heating helps preserve the leaves’ green character. Pan-firing and steaming are two ways of applying that heat; the exact method depends on the tea.

Su proceso de producción pasa por las fases de «Sha Qing» (matar el verde), amasado y secado. El «Sha Qing» utiliza altas temperaturas para inactivar las enzimas oxidantes, con el fin de evitar que las hojas de té se oxiden y mantener su color verde. El amasado desempeña una función en el moldeado de las hojas, y otra función es romper las células de las hojas de té para que puedan someterse a múltiples infusiones. El secado, además de facilitar el almacenamiento de las hojas de té, también tiene el efecto de potenciar el aroma.

Los tés verdes más comunes son el té blanco de Anji, Huangshan Mao Feng, Taiping Hou Kui, Xihu Dragon Well, Xinyang Mao Jian, Bi Luo Chun, etc.

Lee más artículos sobre el té verde chino.

Dark Tea – 黑茶 (Hei Cha)

Dark tea, or hei cha, is associated with microbial fermentation after the initial processing of the leaves. It is a different category from the tea called black tea in English.

Examples include Liubao from Guangxi and Qimen An Cha from Anhui. Ripe Pu-erh is also commonly discussed alongside dark tea. Pu-erh includes both raw (sheng) and ripe (shou) styles, which should not be treated as one identical processing method.

The name hei cha literally means “black tea”, but “dark tea” is the clearer English term here. In English, black tea usually means hong cha (红茶).

Aquí encontrarás más información sobre el té negro chino.

Té blanco – 白茶

White tea is mainly made by withering and drying, with relatively little handling of the leaves. It is produced mainly in Fuding, Zhenghe, Songxi and Jianyang counties in Fujian. It is processed without frying or kneading. The tea leaves are dried in the sun or with a gentle fire. Thus, the white hairs remain intact. The white tea has a complete bud and hair, full of hair appearance characteristics, as well as the characteristics of fresh fragrance, yellow-green color and clear broth, light and sweet taste.

El té blanco se divide en té de brote y té de hoja. El té que tiene un solo brote se denomina “aguja de plata”. El té que tiene un brote y dos o tres hojas se denomina “peonía blanca”. También existe el “Gong Mei / Shou Mei”, que suele tener tres hojas o menos.

Lee más artículos sobre el té blanco chino.

Black Tea – 红茶 (Hong Cha / Red Tea)

Black tea is called hong cha (红茶), or “red tea”, in Chinese. The English and Chinese names refer to the same category. The leaves are withered and rolled, then allowed to oxidise before drying. This oxidation helps develop the tea’s colour and flavour.

Examples of Chinese black tea include Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong, Jin Jun Mei, Dian Hong and Keemun. CTC means “crush, tear, curl”, a processing method often used for tea bags.

Read more about Chinese black tea (hong cha).

Té Oolong – 乌龙茶

Oolong tea, also called Qing Cha, is partially oxidised. Tieguanyin and Da Hong Pao are both oolong teas, even though they can taste very different.

Yao Qing, or shaking the leaves, is part of the processing of many oolongs and helps control oxidation. Oolong covers a wide range of styles, so its flavour also depends on the leaves, processing and roasting.

El té oolong se clasifica generalmente según su origen, y las principales zonas de producción se concentran en Fujian, Guangdong y Taiwán.

Four familiar regional groups are:

1. Oolong del norte de Fujian: té de roca de Wuyi, etc.;
2. Oolong del sur de Fujian: Tieguanyin, Golden Cinnamon, etc.;
3. Oolong de Guangdong: Phoenix Dancong, Lingtou Dancong, etc.;
4. Oolong de Taiwán: Dongding oolong, Oriental Beauty, etc.

Lee más artículos sobre el té oolong chino.

Compare Dahongpao, Rougui and Shuixian to explore three familiar Wuyi rock teas.

Té amarillo – 黄茶

Yellow tea includes a covered yellowing step, often called men huang, as part of processing. This distinguishes it from green tea and helps develop its yellow character.

En comparación con otros tipos de té, el té amarillo es relativamente poco común, por lo que, en la actualidad, se trata de un producto bastante especializado.

Los tés amarillos más comunes son: el «brote plateado de Junshan», el «brote amarillo de Mengding», el «brote amarillo de Huoshan», etc.

Prueba nuestro pack de muestras de té de Huang Shan