Pu'er is from the Southwest China's Yunnan province and has been famous as a medicinal tea. The history of Pu'Er tea could date back to the Tang Dynasty when it was only enjoyed by  the noblemen of that time.

Pu'er tea derives its name from the market town of Pu-er, where it was originally processed and sold. In ancient time, all the tea produced in Yunnan was sold from Pu-er town to other parts of China or overseas. So Pu-er in Yunnan is just like the Ma Lian Dao in Beijing.

It is said in Qing dynasty, the transport of Pu'er tea to the Forbidden City has been delayed due to bad weather. It took more than half-year to reach the imperial palace. The emperor was very unhappy but after he tasted the "overdue" Pu'er, he found it was more fragrant. Since  the specialty of Pu'er  was discovered,  Forbidden City has stored tons of Pu'er, accounting for two thirds of all imperial tea.

Tao Cha Ju is an exclusive seller of Pu'er tea. They collect tea leaves from special broad-leaf tea trees, which are said to be related to ancient prehistoric tea trees in natural forest in Yunan. So their tea is pesticide-free and contain high natural components.

Beijing Hotels: Nearby Longjing Tea Shop

I recently developed a strong interest in various kind of Chinese tea. By reading books and hearing from others, I know almost every kind of tea has its fairy legend. So in the following sections, I would like to introduce Chinese tea and share its tales.

In first part, let's say something about Longjing, a kind of green tea. Longjing tea was granted the status of Gong Cha, or imperial tea, in Qing Dynasty . According to a legend, Emperor Qianlong, visited Hu Gong Temple under the Lion Peak Mountain (Shi Feng Shan) around West Lake area in Zhejiang during one of his famous holidays.

He was presented with a cup of Longjing tea. In front of the Hu Gong Temple were 18 tea bushes. Emperor Qianlong was so impressed by the Longjing tea produced here that he conferred these 18 tea bushes special imperial status.

Hanyilou, in Beijing's Maliandao, is a tea shop carrying longjing from  Shi Feng Shan(Lion Peak Mountain ), where produces the best Longjing tea in China. Longjing  has fresh tasting, and its fragrance is sharp and long lasting.

Beijing Hotels: Nearby White Tea Shop

White tea has a history of 200 years. It originated from Fuding in south China's Fujian province. It is called white tea because it has a pale appearance with tiny white hairs.

Fairy tale says long time ago, a beautiful and kind girl, called Lan Gu,  lived on the foot of Tai Mu mount in Fuding. One year, a unknown disease kill many children in the village. An immortal told Lan Gu in her dream to pick up the leaves in a cave on Tai Mu mount to help the children. At last, children were saved and the leaves- white tea- was largely planted in the area.

In hard time, every household in Fuding stored white tea to prevent child measles. It is believed white tea has more anti-viral and anti-bacterial qualities than green tea.

Dingyun is a exclusive seller of white tea. So if you want to buy Bai Hao Yinzhen, widely considered the best grade of white tea, you could visit Dingyun shop at  Maliandao street.

Beijing Hotels: Nearby Taiping Houkui Tea Shop

Tai Ping Hou Kui, or Monkey Chief, is another kind of green tea, which is also listed as The Ten Great Chinese Teas.

It first caught my attention because of its weird name. At the beginning,  I even thought the tea leaves are picked up by monkey. But it is totally not the truth

Let's talk about its name original story. Once upon a time, a three-member white monkey family lived in Yellow Mountain. But one day, the kid monkey got lost in the Tai Ping village at the foot of Huangshan. Father Monkey came to look for it but without luck, ending in death in a mountain valley. Later, a farmer passed by and found its body. He kindly buried the monkey. Next year the farmer came again and found the place where he buried the monkey has grew up many green tea trees. At that time, a voice filled the valley, saying "This is the reward for your kind behavior and with these tea, you will have noting to worry about".

But story is just story. In fact, the tea is named after Hou Keng, the place where the tea was first made famous. While Kui comes from the name of the tea farmer - Wang Kui Chen - who invented it in the early 19th century. Tai Ping Hou Kui tea gained celebrity status in 1915, when it won the gold medal in an international exposition. It is the first tea to win an international award in China.

Beijing Hotels: Nearby Tie Guan Yin Tea Shop

TieGuanYin, originated from Anxi in south China's Fujian province, is a kind of Oolong tea named after the Buddhist saint Guan Yi.

Back in Anxi, there are many versions of legend behind the tea. The most popular is about a farmer called Wei Yin. Wei voluntarily cleaned a temple in which held an iron statue of Guan Yin. The  Buddhist saint was touched by his kind heart and appeared in his dream,  telling him of a cave behind the temple where a treasure awaited him, that is the Tieguanyin tree. Because of the help of the tea tree, Wei Yin became the rich tea farmer in that area, and finally Anxi tieguanyin got its name across the country.

 The leaf of the Tieguanyin tea is rolled into small tubes and then dried for consumption. The tea produces a fragrant orchid-like aroma when steeped, and it may be very floral or very fruity also.

Tian Ran Xiang teashop is an exclusive seller of TieGuanYin in Beijing' Maliandao street. It has various colorful packages of Tieguanyin as well asloose Tieguanyin. According to different quality, tea price varies from RMB 30 per 500 gram to over thousand yuan.

Beijing Hotels: Nearby Keemun Tea Shop

At the end of the tea tale series, I would like to introduce the best known tea in western society - Keemun. Keemun tea, or Qimen Hong tea is a kind of black tea. It is also listed as one of The Ten Great Chinese Teas.

Keemun is produced in the Qimen county of Huangshan city.  It was first produced in 1875 by a failed civil servant, Yu Quianchen. Before Yu traveled to Fujian province to learn the secrets of black tea production, only green tea was made in Anhui. The result exceeded his expectations, and the excellent Keemun tea quickly gained popularity in England, and became the most prominent ingredient of the English Breakfast tea blend.

The aroma of Keemun is fruity, with hints of pine and floweriness. Typically Keenmun is enjoyed without milk or sugar; however, it goes well with milk.

If you want to buy Keemun tea, Hui Ming Xuan is a good choice. It is a Huangshan tea factory office in Beijing's Maliandao tea street. So you can trust it quality.