The Secret to Brewing Chinese Tea | A China Icons How To Guide

Black, green, oolong, pu-erh…. China is the world’s biggest producer of tea and with so many varieties to choose from, it’s hard to know what makes the perfect cup. Enter China Icons’ Joe, who has travelled to Fujian, China’s most famous province for tea, on a special assignment to reveal the secrets to brewing the perfect cuppa. His personal favourite is white tea – one of the most delicate varieties and named after the fine white hairs on the young buds of the tea plant. First stop is the plantations, where Joe takes tips from the tea pickers on how to pluck the best leaves. It can be back-breaking work, with the average picker gathering 5 kilos per day and returning to the same area every couple of days when the leaves have produced new shoots. Next stop for Joe and his tea leaves is processing, where the leaves are wilted, sometimes outside for up to 3 days, to remove excess moisture and the smell of grass. Most tea leaves are then sold on at market, so Joe travels to Dian Tou, the main market town for selling his favourite white tea. There are four main types – shou mei, gong mei, white peony and silver needle. Finally, Joe gets to enjoy his cuppa. For the best taste, he discovers that water should be boiled to less than 90 degrees Celsius and poured down the side of the cup rather than directly on the leaves. For more unusual insights and guides to into China, SUBSCRIBE to China Icons. Join in the conversation on our Facebook site www.facebook.com/ChinaIcons Get the latest news as it happens from our Twitter page https://twitter.com/chinaicons We're also on Instagram! Follow us for exclusive behind-the-scenes photography and more. www.instagram.com/china_icons Remember to check out our official website too! www.chinaicons.com