中国茶の6種類

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.

緑茶 – 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.

その製造工程は、殺青、揉捻、乾燥の順で行われます。殺青では、高温を用いて酸化酵素を不活性化し、茶葉の酸化を防ぎ、緑色を保つようにします。揉捻には形状を整える役割があるほか、茶葉の細胞を破壊して、何度も淹れられるようにするという役割もあります。 乾燥は、茶葉の保存を容易にするだけでなく、香りを引き立てる効果もあります。.

最も一般的な緑茶は、安吉白茶、, 黄山毛峰, 太平侯奎, 、西湖龍井、信陽毛尖、碧螺春など。.

中国産緑茶に関するその他の記事をご覧ください。.

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).

中国のダークティーに関する詳細はこちらをご覧ください。.

ホワイトティー – 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.

白茶は、芽茶と葉茶に分けられます。芽が1つだけのものは「銀針」と呼ばれます。芽が1つで葉が2～3枚あるものは「白牡丹」と呼ばれます。また、一般的に葉が3枚以下の「功梅／寿梅」というものもあります。.

中国の白茶に関する記事をもっと読む。.

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 キームン. CTC means “crush, tear, curl”, a processing method often used for tea bags.

Read more about Chinese black tea (hong cha).

ウーロン茶 – 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.

烏龍茶は一般的に産地によって分類され、主な生産地は福建省、広東省、台湾に集中しています。.

Four familiar regional groups are:

1. 福建北部産ウーロン茶：武夷岩茶など；;
2. 福建省南部の烏龍茶：鉄観音、ゴールデンシナモンなど；;
3. 広東省の烏龍茶：鳳凰単叢、霊頭単叢など；;
4. 台湾の烏龍茶：東頂烏龍茶、オリエンタル・ビューティーなど。.

中国産ウーロン茶に関するその他の記事をご覧ください。.

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

イエローティー – 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.

他の茶の種類と比較すると、黄茶は比較的マイナーなため、現時点では比較的ニッチな存在です。.

代表的な黄茶には、軍山銀芽、蒙頂黄芽、火山黄芽などがあります。.

当社の黄山茶の試飲セットをお試しください