Of hundreds of varieties of Chinese tea, there are six major types. They are green tea, black tea, Wulong tea, white tea, scented tea, and tightly pressed tea.

Green tea has the longest history and still ranks first in output and variety today. People like its freshness and natural fragrance. Famous green tea includes Longjing (Dragon Well) Tea from the West Lake in Hangzhou, Maofeng Tea from Huangshan Mountain, Yinzhen (Silver Needle) Tea from Junshan Mountain and Yunwu (Cloud and Mist) Tea from Lushan Mountain.

Black tea is also popular both at home and abroad. Different from green tea, black tea is thoroughly fermented. In the fermentation, the tea turns from green to black.

Wulong tea possesses the freshness of green tea and the fragrance of black tea. In recent years, it has become popular with more and more people for its properties in helping body building and dieting. Wulong tea is found in Fujian and Taiwan. Because the tea grows on cliffs, it is difficult to pick. For this reason, Wulong tea is considered the most precious.

White tea is as white as silver and its water is clear. It is mainly produced in Zhenhe and Fuding in Fujian Province. Famous varieties include "Silver Needle" and "White Peony".

Scented tea, which smells of flowers, is unique to China. Scented tea is made by mixing green tea with flower petals through an elaborate process. Sweet osmanthus, jasmine, rose, orchid and plum flowers can all be used.

Another special tea is called tightly-pressed tea lumps or compressed tea. The black tea or green tea is pressed into brick, cake, or ball shapes. The tea lump is convenient to store and transport and is popular with minority people in border regions, especially nomadic herdsmen. This kind of tea is mainly produced in Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.