red tea

After many years as a stepchild to the specialty coffee market, tea is taking off in China. The trend is fueled by good news about the health benefits of drinking tea, by new products and appealing packaging, by an interest in alternatives to coffee or soda, and by lifestyles that embrace both the luxury/ritual aspect of tea and the convenience of new bottled and ready-to-drink teas. As the market grows, its also becoming much more segmented and competitive. Where black tea was once the predominant choice available on supermarket shelves, there are now many varieties, each with particular health and flavor aspects. These include green tea, white tea, red tea, herbal tea, medicinal tea, chai, yerba mate, and blends of all the above. Like other types of red tea from other cultures, it is not the red tea leaf that causes the flavor or difference. Instead it is the processes that are used in order to present a tea that has stronger health benefits, different flavor and the ability to affect one differently. The Chinese red tea market has this understanding, with the production of over fifty different processes and flavors that are used for the market.