The Friendly Tea Glossary

Tea words change between regions, teachers, languages, and sellers. Use these as practical working definitions, not as a secret password list.

Tea families and forms

Term	Plain meaning
Bai cha	White tea.
Lu cha	Green tea.
Hong cha	Black tea in standard English; the Chinese name points to the reddish liquor.
Hei cha	Dark tea shaped by deliberate microbial change.
Sheng pu-erh	Raw pu-erh, made without accelerated moist piling.
Shu pu-erh	Ripe pu-erh, transformed through controlled moist piling.
Bing cha	Disc-shaped pressed tea — a cake.
Yancha	Wuyi rock oolong.
Dancong	Literally “single bush”; now also the wider family of fragrant Phoenix Mountain oolongs.

Term	Plain meaning
Shaqing	Heating that stops most enzyme-driven oxidation; often translated as “kill-green.”
Menhuang	The warm controlled “yellowing” rest that helps define yellow tea.
Hongbei	Roasting or baking, especially in oolong finishing; no one fixed fuel or roast level.
Wo dui	Controlled moist piling used for ripe pu-erh and some dark teas.
Mao cha	Tea after primary making but before some later sorting, refining, fermentation, or pressing.
Cha tou	Dense clumps formed inside a ripe-pu-erh pile.

Term	Plain meaning
Gaiwan	Lidded bowl used for brewing or drinking.
Cha hu	Teapot.
Cha hai / gong dao bei	Pitcher that receives a full infusion before serving.
Cha pan	Tea tray or draining board.
Cha he	Dish for presenting and examining dry leaf.
Wenxiangbei	Tall aroma cup, usually paired with a short drinking cup.
Cha xi	The arranged tea setting; usage differs among modern schools.
Gongfu cha	Skillful tea making; also a modern family of short-infusion methods.
Pincha	Tasting or appreciating tea, often in an informal attentive session.

Term	Plain meaning — and the catch
Bai hao	Pale hairs on young shoots; not a universal quality grade.
Gongting	For ripe pu-erh, usually fine bud-rich material; not proof of palace origin.
Da shu	“Large tree”; no single size or age threshold.
Gu shu	“Ancient tree”; trade usage has no universally enforced age threshold.
Qiao mu	Tree-form growth; does not by itself prove age, wildness, species, or quality.
Ya bao	Variable term for shoot or side buds; ask for plant identity and processing.
Flush	A wave of new growth and its harvest. The picked unit is more precisely a shoot.
Tip	A tea bud; in grading, sometimes a pale young-leaf piece. Context matters.

Term	Plain meaning
Huigan	Sweetness or a sweet impression returning after a sip.
Shengjin	Salivation or juicy mouthfeel after tea.
Hou yun	“Throat resonance,” a metaphor for lingering throat sensations — not a measurable grade.

Tip

When a term seems to guarantee quality, ask what it literally describes: a process, object, plant form, sensation, region, or sales category.