Chinese tea may be classified into several categories according to the different methods by which it is processed.

Green tea is the variety that keeps the original color of tealeaves without fermentation during processing. This category consists mainly of Longjing tea produced in Zhejiang Province, Maofeng in Anhui Province and Biluochun in Jiangsu Province.

Black tea, known as “red tea” (hongcha) in China, is the category that is fermented before baking. It is a later variety developed on the basis of the green tea. The best brands of black tea are Qihong of Anhui Province, Dianhong of Yunnan Province, Suhong of Jiangsu Province, Chuanhong of Sichuan Province and Huhong of Hunan Province.

Oolong tea represents a variety half way between green and black teas, being made after partial fermentation. It is a specialty from provinces on China’s southeastern coast: Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan.

Scented tea is made by mixing fragrant flowers in tealeaves in the course of processing. The flowers commonly used for this purpose are jasmine and magnolia among others. Jasmine tea is a well-known favorite with the northerners of China and with a growing number of foreigners.