Chinese Restaurant Tea Guide: What Kind Do They Serve?
This post contains affiliate links, which means Luckee Tea may earn a commission if you purchase with these links. All opinions in reviews on Luckee Tea are our own and not influenced by affiliate partnerships.
Chinese restaurant tea has long been a staple for many meals. Sitting at the restaurant table, you may wonder what kind of tea they serve at Chinese restaurants.
Tea is essential in Chinese culture and cuisine, with various types offering unique flavors and health benefits. While dining at a Chinese restaurant, they typically have a variety of teas for you to choose from.
Enjoying tea at a Chinese restaurant tea is a staple in its culture. Not to mention that tea also offers various health benefits. Many teas contain antioxidants known to boost the immune system and prevent diseases. Tea can aid digestion, making it a complimentary companion for your meal at a Chinese restaurant.
In this blog, we’ll discuss the different types of teas commonly found in Chinese restaurants. We’ll review the flavor profile, aroma, and origin. Then we’ll review Chinese restaurant tea etiquette that you should follow.
With a better understanding of the significance of tea in Chinese cuisine, you can fully appreciate its unique flavors and benefits as you dine in your favorite restaurant.
Why Do Chinese Restaurants Serve Hot Tea?
When you visit a Chinese restaurant, you’ll notice that they serve hot tea during your meal. Especially if you’ve gone for morning dim sum, one of my favorite meals.
This tradition has cultural and practical reasons behind it. The Chinese culture has cherished and enjoyed hot tea for centuries.
One reason for serving hot tea in Chinese restaurants is to cleanse your palate. The subtle flavors of the tea can help to refresh your taste buds. A quality cup makes it easier to enjoy the flavors of the dishes you’re about to savor.
Tea also helps rinse away any lingering tastes from previous foods so that you can fully appreciate the taste of the food you’re eating.
Another reason for serving hot tea is the Chinese belief in maintaining a balance of yin and yang energies within the body. Chinese restaurant tea has a warming and soothing effect, which can help balance some Chinese foods’ cool and damp properties. Drinking hot tea with your meal may contribute to achieving this balance, promoting harmony within your body.
Hot tea also has numerous health benefits. Different types of Chinese tea, such as green, black, or oolong, contain antioxidants that can help protect your body from damage caused by free radicals. It can also aid digestion by helping your stomach process the food more efficiently.
So, the next time you visit a Chinese restaurant, take a moment to appreciate the hot tea served. It symbolizes hospitality, a palate cleanser, a harmonizing agent within the body, and health benefits provider.
6 Common Types of Chinese Tea
When you visit a Chinese restaurant, you might come across various teas. The waiter or waitress may even ask what type of Chinese tea you’d like when you arrive at your table.
There are six common types of Chinese restaurant tea: green tea, black tea, white tea, red tea, yellow tea, and oolong tea. Each type has its own unique flavor, appearance, and benefits.
Green tea is the most popular Chinese tea, known for its fresh, vegetal and subtly sweet taste and numerous health benefits.
Black tea, also known as Hong Cha in Chinese, is fully fermented and has a robust, bold flavor.
White tea is the least processed Chinese tea, made from the young leaves and buds of the tea plant. White tea is gently sun-dried, known for its delicate flavor and subtle sweetness.
Red tea, or Pu-erh, is a unique and richly flavored tea from the Yunnan province. They ferment and age it to give it a deep, earthy taste.
Yellow tea is a rare and highly prized variety, similar to green tea but with a slightly longer oxidation process. Harvesters wrap the leaves and let them slowly oxidize, which produces a mellow flavor and a characteristic yellow color.
Oolong tea, also known as Qing Cha, is a partially fermented tea that falls between green and black tea in terms of oxidation. With many flavors and aromas, oolong tea tastes vary between floral, fruity, or creamy.
Now that you have a basic understanding of the six types of Chinese tea, you can explore their unique flavors in your local Chinese restaurant.
What Kind Of Tea Is Served At Chinese Restaurants?
Chinese restaurants offer a variety of delicious and aromatic teas to accompany your meal. This section will explore the most popular types of tea served in Chinese restaurants, including their unique characteristics and potential health benefits.
Oolong Tea
Oolong tea, also known as “wulong” or “black dragon” tea, is a partially fermented tea that sits between green and black tea in terms of oxidation levels.
This tea is well-known for its complex flavor profile, ranging from floral and fruity to creamy and toasty.
When you visit a Chinese restaurant, they often serve oolong tea with dishes like dim sum to help balance the strong flavors and aid digestion. Tie Guan Yin, Da Hong Pao, and Dong Ding are well-known oolong teas.
Green Tea
Green tea is popular due to its refreshing, grassy flavor and numerous health benefits.
This tea has not undergone oxidation, allowing it to maintain its lively green hue and refreshing flavor. Green tea is rich in antioxidants, making it a popular choice for health-conscious individuals.
Some popular varieties of green tea served in Chinese restaurants include Longjing (Dragon Well) and Bi Luo Chun (Green Snail Spring).
Black Tea
In Chinese, they refer to black tea as “hong cha” or “red tea”. They fully ferment this tea, giving it a strong and bold flavor profile.
Some famous black teas are Lapsang Souchong, Keemun, and Dian Hong. Black teas such as Lapsang Souchong have numerous health benefits such as weight loss, lowering cholesterol and improved mental clarity.
Chinese restaurants most commonly serve Keemun, a black tea from the Anhui province of China. Keemun has a rich, malty taste and smoky aroma, making it a comforting choice for colder weather or to pair with spicy dishes.
Pu-erh Tea
Pu-erh tea is a unique variety that undergoes a fermentation and aging process, resulting in a distinct, earthy flavor.
Chinese restaurants often serve this tea because they believe it offers numerous health benefits, such as aiding digestion and lowering cholesterol.
Pu-erh tea is raw (sheng) and ripe (shu). Raw pu-erh has a lighter, more vegetal taste, while ripe pu-erh offers a darker, more robust flavor. Regardless of whether it’s raw or ripe, brewing pu-erh tea is simple.
Jasmine Tea
Jasmine tea is a delightful scented tea, infusing green, oolong, or black tea leaves with fresh jasmine flowers.
This gives the tea a delicate, floral aroma and a subtly sweet taste. Jasmine doesn’t contain any caffeine because it’s an herbal tea. They also commonly pair jasmine with green tea.
Jasmine tea is a popular choice in Chinese restaurants due to its soothing and refreshing qualities, making it an ideal accompaniment to various dishes.
Chrysanthemum Tea
The taste of chrysanthemum tea is light, sweet, and slightly earthy flavor. It’s an herbal tea made from dried chrysanthemum flowers, which impart a
Chinese restaurants often serve this caffeine-free tea, especially during the fall and winter, because they believe it has cooling and cleansing properties.
Chrysanthemum tea is an excellent choice for a calming and refreshing tea without caffeine.
By trying different types of tea during your visits to Chinese restaurants, you can discover which ones are your favorites and enjoy their unique flavors and potential health benefits.
Unique Tea Varieties Served In Chinese Restaurants
Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea
Tie Guan Yin, also known as Iron Goddess of Mercy, is a popular Chinese oolong tea.
They name this unique tea variety after the Buddhist deity Guanyin and it is known for its distinct floral aroma and slightly sweet taste. Tie Guan Yin is an excellent choice at a Chinese restaurant, as it pairs well with various dishes.
When brewing Tie Guan Yin, you’ll notice its vibrant green leaves unfurl as they steep, releasing their flavor and aroma. Like Tie Guan Yin, oolong teas are partially oxidized, giving them a unique taste between green and black teas.
To appreciate its nuanced flavors, try multiple steepings and notice how the taste changes with each infusion.
Yunnan Tea
Yunnan province, located in southwestern China, is well-known for its wide variety of tea offerings, including the famous Pu-erh tea.
A trip to a Chinese restaurant is a great opportunity to try some of these unique flavors.
They characterize Yunnan tea by its large leaves and it can take many forms, such as black, green, or even aged and fermented. One unique aspect of Yunnan tea is its aging potential. Much like wine, they can age Pu-erh tea for years, or even decades, making its flavor richer and more complex over time.
You’ll undoubtedly encounter diverse flavors and aromas in your exploration of Chinese restaurant tea.
Proper Tea Etiquette in Chinese Restaurants
Tea plays a vital role in social gatherings and hospitality in Chinese culture. Practicing proper tea etiquette is important when enjoying a meal at a Chinese restaurant.
Here are some common tea manors that you should be aware of in Chinese restaurants
Why do Chinese people tap when pouring tea?
In a Chinese restaurant, you may notice others tapping their fingers on the table when you pour tea for them or when they pour tea for you.
Tapping on the table when someone pours you tea expresses gratitude and respect to the person pouring the tea without interrupting the flow of conversation.
The origin of this custom can be traced back to an ancient Chinese story involving Emperor Qianlong. The emperor enjoyed venturing into his kingdom disguised as a commoner to understand his subjects’ lives better. During these trips, he often visited teahouses with his courtiers.
On one such occasion, Emperor Qianlong decided to pour tea for a courtier. Recognizing the immense honor of the emperor’s gesture, the courtier wanted to show his appreciation, but the usual custom of kneeling in gratitude was not appropriate, as it would have revealed the emperor’s identity. Instead, the courtier bent his fingers to mimic the customary bow discreetly and tapped on the table, symbolizing his gratitude and respect.
So, the next time you’re at a Chinese restaurant, remember to tap your fingers on the table when someone pours tea for you to say “thank you.” This gesture is a simple way of acknowledging Chinese restaurant tea etiquette.
Where to Buy Chinese Restaurant Tea?
Chinese restaurant tea is a delightful experience, offering various flavors and health benefits. Whether looking for a refreshing green tea or a deep, rich Pu-erh, you can find the perfect tea to enjoy at home.
Republic of Tea – Organic Jasmine Tea
One popular tea option is Republic Tea’s Organic Jasmine Green Tea, which offers a refreshing taste from high-quality jasmine green tea leaves harvested in South China. Jasmine green tea provides a wonderful aroma and flavor, making it a great choice to indulge in anytime.
Teavivre – Huizhou Emperor Chrysanthemum Tea
If you’re searching for herbal tea, try Teavivre’s Huizhou Emperor Chrysanthemum Tea. This chrysanthemum tea is known for its beautiful presentation and pleasant taste, suitable for winter and summer. It comes in the whole flower, which will bloom beautifully in hot water. This tea has a clean and sweet aroma and is caffeine-free.
Teavivre – Ban Zhang Raw Pu-erh Cake Tea
For pu-erh tea enthusiasts, Teavivre’s Ban Zhang Raw Pu-erh Cake Tea is a flavorful choice. This pu-erh tea is recognized for its aroma, similar to orchids and honey. This particular tea brings a unique strength. A well-brewed cup will be rich, with several layers of flavor followed by a sweet aftertaste.
Teavivre – Nonpareil Handmade Anxi Qing Xiang TieGuanYin Oolong Tea
Oolong tea is another popular option within Chinese restaurants, and Teavivre’s Nonpareil Handmade Anxi Qing Xiang TieGuanYin Oolong Tea is an excellent choice for those looking to savor this variety. Anxi Tie Guan Yin, known as “Iron Goddess” tea, is one of China’s ten greatest teas. This hand-made tea has a strong orchid fragrance and a smooth and mellow taste.
You can find various Chinese restaurant tea options to enjoy at home. So go ahead and explore the world of Chinese tea and discover your new favorite blend.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chinese Restaurant Tea
The most common teas served at Chinese restaurants include green, oolong, jasmine, and pu-erh tea. Green and oolong tea are popular for their refreshing flavors. Jasmine tea has a delicate, floral aroma that adds an elegant touch to any meal. While pu-erh tea offers a richer, earthy taste.
Chinese restaurant tea tastes so good because they use high-quality loose-leaf tea instead of tea bags. These premium teas have more complex flavors and offer a better overall taste. Additionally, Chinese restaurants follow specific brewing techniques and serve the tea at just the right temperature. Lastly, pairing the tea with Chinese food creates a well-balanced taste where the tea and the food complement each other.
Although oolong and green tea come from the same tea plant, they differ in their processing techniques. Green tea is known for its minimal oxidation. The leaves are steamed or pan-fried to maintain their natural color and fresh, grassy taste. Oolong tea is partially oxidized, producing a richer aroma and flavor between black and green tea. The color of oolong tea can range from light green to dark amber, depending on the oxidation level.
To make tea similar to the ones served in Chinese restaurants at home, start by investing in high-quality loose-leaf tea. The quality of tea leaves affects the flavor and aroma. Use the right brewing technique for the specific type of tea you have selected. For instance, green tea should be brewed using water at a lower temperature (around 160-175°F or 70-80°C) to avoid bitterness. While oolong tea requires a slightly higher temperature (around 185-205°F or 85-95°C). Ensure you have the appropriate teaware, such as porcelain or yixing teapot, and follow the correct steeping time for your chosen tea.
Final Thoughts
Chinese restaurant tea is a big part of the dining experience, highlighting China’s rich tea culture. Tea in Chinese restaurants not only provides a variety of flavors but also offers numerous health benefits.
We hope you’ll delve into the types of teas, exploring their flavor, aroma, and origins. Additionally, make sure you tap the table when someone pours you tea in a Chinese restaurant!
