There are many ways to classify Chinese tea, and the more common ways to classify it include processing technology, degree of fermentation, tea shape and origin. Here are a few main ways to classify them:
1.*Classified according to processing technology**:
Green Tea**: Unfermented tea leaves that retain the natural color and aroma of the tea.
Black tea**: Fully fermented tea, ruddy in color and rich in aroma.
Oolong Tea**: Semi-fermented tea, somewhere between green and black tea, with a unique aroma and taste.
White tea**: Slightly fermented tea leaves with a light color and light taste.
Yellow tea**: Tea leaves that have been slightly fermented and treated with sullen yellow, yellow and bright in color.
Black tea**: Post-fermented tea, dark brown in color and mellow in taste.
2.*Classified by degree of fermentation**:
Non-fermented tea**: such as green tea.
Semi-fermented tea**: such as oolong tea.
Fully fermented tea**: such as black tea.
3.*Classified by tea shape**:
Loose tea**: Unpressed tea leaves.
Pressed tea**: such as Pu'er tea cakes, Tuo tea, etc., which are pressed into tea leaves of a specific shape.
4.*Classified by origin**:
Famous teas**: such as West Lake Longjing, Anxi Tieguanyin, Wuyi Rock Tea, etc., these teas are famous for their unique quality and origin.
5.*Classified by season**:
Spring tea**: Tea leaves picked in spring are usually of good quality.
Summer tea**: The quality of tea picked in summer is slightly inferior to that of spring tea.
Autumn tea**: Tea leaves picked in autumn, the quality is between spring tea and summer tea.
Winter tea**: Tea leaves picked in winter, with less yield and higher quality.
These classification methods can be used individually or in combination to more accurately describe and distinguish between different types of tea.