Having originated in China, tea is the country’s long lasting claim to fame. Not only was this gem of the east immensely popular for its taste but also for the health benefits that came along with it. With age and history comes tradition and the drinking of Chinese tea has become somewhat of an everyday ceremony conducted as often as possible. The art of drinking tea involves tea-houses, little cups, specific techniques and depending on where you are in China a certain etiquette (in some regions, conversely from the West, it is polite to slurp at ones tea as loudly as possible). There are mainly four categories of Chinese tea which include white, red, oolong and post-fermented tea. One will when travelling undoubtedly wind up in a tea-house in China wanting to partake in this important ritual and in order to avoid a muck up here are some simple lines to get you through the procedure:
Where is the nearest tea house?
茶座在那儿？
Chá zuò zài nà’er?
I would like some tea
我要一杯茶。
Wǒ yào yībēi chá.
This is delicious
这杯很好喝。
Zhè bēi hěn hǎo hē.
What type of tea is this?
这是什么类型的茶？
Zhè shì shénme lèixíng de chá?
I want to buy some Oolong tea
我要买乌龙茶。
Wǒ yāomǎi wūlóngchá.
