A foundation in diversity
Study green, yellow, white, oolong, black, and dark teas. Comparing these categories helps you understand how processing changes what you see, smell, and taste.
One plant.
A remarkable range of possibilities.
Explore the relationship between the leaf, its processing, its place of origin, and the way it is served.
A craft you can practise
Work with water temperature, infusion time, and different vessels. Learn to make deliberate brewing choices and explain the sensory differences in the cup.
A connection to origins
Go beyond a product name. Explore tea regions, the people who make tea, and the cultural practices that give Chinese tea its context.
Centuries of change.
A tradition still alive.
Tea opens a window onto Chinese history. Its preparation, vessels, and social meaning have changed across generations. Explore three moments in that story.
Tea becomes a subject of study.
Tang tea culture included preparing ground tea by boiling it. Its utensils and preparation practices offer a starting point for exploring how tea developed as a cultural practice.
These are selected historical themes; preparation methods overlapped across periods. Explore the National Palace Museum’s tea-culture exhibition ↗.
The age of a tradition
The history of tea culture stretches across centuries. A dynasty tells us about a period of practice, not the age of the leaves in a cup.
The age of a tea tree
A tea tree’s age and growing environment tell a different story from the age of the tea harvested from it.
The ageing of tea
Some finished teas are stored to develop over time. Learning about processing and storage helps you ask better questions about aged tea.
Chinese traditional tea processing and associated social practices were inscribed on UNESCO’s living heritage list in 2022. Explore the heritage ↗
Six categories.
Many ways to discover tea.
Start with the categories, then learn how origin, craft, and brewing shape each cup.
A closer look at the academy’s study materials.
Green tea / 绿茶
Explore how heat treatment limits oxidation, then compare aroma, texture, and brewing choices. A useful starting point for observing how processing shapes tea.
Select a category to explore a learning theme. Tea appearance and infusion colour vary within every category.
Turn curiosity into experience.
Find a learning path that brings the story into practice.
Explore learning paths ↗