If you go to our “About Tea” section on Path of Cha, you’ll find our trusty-dusty tea glossary. It’s filled with terms from the vast worlds of Chinese and Japanese tea, so you’ll never have to question what tea heads are talking about. Another problem that often arises is pronunciation. While Japanese pronunciation is more or less straightforward, Chinese is where it can get tricky. With many words having the same compounds, it would certainly be frustrating to receive not what you asked for. In today’s blog post, we’ll go over common Chinese tea spelling and pronunciation. (Read more)
In today's post we will discus the origins of tea in China and ancient Chinese tea drinking methods. From 2737 BCE and all the way up to modern times, let's take a look at how tea culture transformed. (Read more)
Hei Chais a post-fermented tea from China (and Shou Pu-erh is one of its forms), that underwent microbial fermentation - a process distinct from oxidation.
Hei Cha(黑茶) translates as "Black Tea." We also sometimes refer to it as "Dark Tea" to not confuse it with what we call "Black Tea" in the West. That's right, Hei Cha is China's 'real' Black Tea. The history of this tea goes back to the late Ming / early Qing dynasties. Although processing methods of Dark Tea have evolved over time, people throughout China still highly revere this tea as a regional specialty and historical attribute.(Read more)
Before we go into the details, it's important to note that tea as we know it didn't appear until the 13th century. Before then, tea was brewed in a whole other manner. It was brewed as a medicine. Even the term brewed is a strong word. To be more precise, tea leaves were powdered and whisked in a manner similar to modern-day matcha. Oftentimes, this was done with the addition of other herbs and spices with medicinal properties. This was during the Tang Dynasty (618–690, 705–907). China's Top Ten Teas list is a modern-day invention, though it is based on teas historically enjoyed by the country's elite. (Read more)
This week the Northeast coast has been hit by a snow blizzard, and of course — many of us reached for something warm. Something hot. Tea! Granted, most of us tea heads drink tea all year round, no matter the outside temperature. Although undoubtedly, there's something exceptionally satisfying about warming yourself up with some hot tea while the weather is chilly. (Read more)