Ep. 19 | Famous China Teas (Part 1)
Today's THP episode will go from province to province and look at a variety of famous teas such as Longjing, Gunpowder, Huangshan Maofeng, Lu'an Guapian, Xinyang Maojian, Taiping Houkui and a few others. All of the teas to be introduced began their brilliant careers as tribute teas sent annually to the emperor. You too can savor these teas fit for an emperor by purchasing them online at any number of online (and offline) tea sellers.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Zhèjiāng | 浙江 | Coastal province in China |
| Jiāngxī | 江西 | Province just west of Fujian and Zhejiang |
| Ānhuī | 安徽 | Province in central China |
| Táng | 唐朝 | The Tang Dynasty 618-907 |
| Qīng | 清朝 | The QWing Dynasty 1644-1911 |
| Lóngjǐng | 龙井 | Longjing, both a village near Hangzhou and the name of the tea grown there. Called Dragon Well tea |
| Fúzhōu | 福州 | Capital of Fujian province, located on the northern coast |
| Hángzhōu | 杭州 | Capital of Zhejiang |
| Qiánlóng | 乾隆 | Qing emperor who reigned 1736-1795 |
| Húgōng Temple | 胡公庙 | Temple near West Lake in Hangzhou where Qianlong planted the tea bushes |
| Sìchuān | 四川 | Province in southwest China |
| Shānzhài | 山寨 | Literally means a fortified mountain village but has come to mean manufactured goods sold as counterfeits of famous brandsw |
| Máojiān | 毛尖 | any tea that consists of a bud and a single leaf only |
| Máofēng | 毛峰 | the bud plus the top two leaves |
| zhūchá | 朱茶 | "Pearl" tea. Tea pellets |
| Píngshǔi | City in Zhejiang south of South of Shaoxing, where gunpowder tea is said to have originated | |
| Huángshān Máofēng | 黄山毛峰 | The most renowned tea of Anhui Province (or so it's said). Yellow Mountain Hair Tip |
| Huángshān | 黄山 | Yellow Mountain in Anhui Province |
| Xiǎo Cāo | 小操 | My longtime listener from Lu'an who introduced me to that city and to Lu'an Guapian Tea. |
| Lù’ān | 六安 | City in Anhui Province that has an exception to the rule for the Pinyin spelling of 六. Famous for, among opther things I'm sure, their Lu'an Melon Seed Tea. |
| Lù’ān Guāpiàn | 卢安瓜片 | Melon Seed tea |
| Cháchéng | 茶城 | A tea city. Fairly common all over China. Shopping centers where all the units sell tea, teaware and tea accouterment |
| Yán chá | 岩茶 | Rock Tea or Cliff Tea, from the upper part of the Wuyi Mountains |
| Wǔyí Mountains | 武夷山 | The Wuyi Mountains in northern Fujian Province |
| Pǔ-Ěrh | 普洱 | A kind of fermented tea grown in Yunnan that has its own category and a taste all its own |
| Hénán | 河南 | Province in central China. Zhengzhou is the capital |
| Xìnyáng Máojiān | 信阳毛尖 | Xìnyáng Fur Tip |
| Yángzǐ | 扬子江 | The Yangzi or Yangtze River. China's longest river |
| Xīshuāngbǎnnà | 西双版纳 | Officially called the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, in southern Yunnan |
| Shǎnxī | 陕西 | Province in northwest China, west of Shanxi |
| Ānkāng | 安康 | China’s Land of Folk Songs in southern Shaanxi Province |
| Western Jìn | 西晋 | The Western Jin Dynasty 266-311 |
| Shén Nóng | 神农 | The Divine Farmer, the mythical discoverer of tea and author of The Classic of Herbal Medicine |
| Zǐyáng Máojiān | 紫阳毛尖 | The most renowned tea in Ankang, Shaanxi Province. Ziyang is a county near Ankang |
| Xī | 硒 | Selenium |
| Tàipíng Hóukuí | 太平猴魁 | A green tea grown north of Huangshan in Anhui, a favorite of President Putin I read |
| Hóukuí | 猴魁 | The Monkey King |
| Yúnnán | 云南 | Province in southwest China |
| Báiháo Yínzhēn | 白毫银针 | Silver Needle tea, also called White Pekoe Silver Needle Tea |
| Bái Mǔdān | 白牡丹 | White Peony Tea |
| Tsim She Tsui | 尖沙咀 | District in Kowloon located on the southern tip of the peninsula |
| Fuk Lam Mun | 福林门 | A famous longtime restaurant in Hong Kong with locations in Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai |
| Shòu Méi | 寿眉茶 | Longevity Eyebrow tea |
| wòduī | 涡堆 | A kind of process developed to speed up the ripening process of pu-erh tea |
| Hēichá | 黑茶 | Black tea or dark tea like Pu-erh |
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