Chinese tea is available in hundreds of varieties. These can be classified into five categories: green tea, black tea, brick tea, scented tea, and oolong tea.

The top ten teas in China are as follows—any of them make wonderful gifts.

1. Longjing produced near West Lake, Hangzhou, Zhejiang

2. Biluochun from Wu County in Jiangsu

3. Huangshan Maofeng from Mt. Huangshan in Anhui

4. Junshan Silver Needle from Qingluo Island on Dongting Lake

5. Qimen Black Tea from Qimen County in Anhui

6. Liuan Guapian from Liuan County in Anhui

7. Xinyang Maojian from Xinyang in Henan

8. Duyun Maojian from Duyun Mountain in Guizhou

9. Wuyi Rock Tea from Wuyi Mountain in Fujian

10. Tieguanyin from Anxi County in Fujian

How to select excellent tea

Tea is classified into grades. Generally, appraisement of tea is based on five principles: the shape of the leaf, the color of the liquid, the aroma, the taste and the appearance of the infused leaf.

There are many different shapes that leafs can come in. They can be flat, needle-like, flower-like, and so on. The judgment of what type is best is usually decided by tea tasters.

The evenness and transparency of the leaf will determine the color of the liquid. Avoid rough burnt red leafs or red stems.

Aroma is the most important factor in judging tea quality. By putting three grams of leafs into 100 milliliters of boiled water, one can properly judge the scent of the tea.

The final judgment should, of course, be the taste of the liquid and the appearance of the infused leafs.