Standards of Chinese Tea: A Catalogue of National Regulations
The standardization of tea is a crucial component in the development of the tea industry. The establishment of standards offers numerous benefits, such as ensuring product quality, facilitating trade by providing a common language for buyers and sellers, and enhancing consumer confidence through clear guidelines on what constitutes high-quality tea. The level of standardization also serves as an indicator of the market position of a tea variety, reflecting its maturity, recognition, and competitiveness in the global marketplace. Comprehensive standards not only help in preserving the traditional craft of tea production but also in adapting to modern consumer demands, thereby shaping the future of the tea industry.
1.General Standards for Tea
The content of the general standards for tea includes quality and safety standards, methodological standards, and foundational standards.
1.1 Quality and Safety Standards
In terms of quality and safety standards, commonly used standards include:
"National Food Safety Standard for the General Rules on Labeling of Prepackaged Foods" (GB 7718—2011);
"National Food Safety Standard for Limits of Contaminants in Foods" (GB 2762—2022);
"National Food Safety Standard for Maximum Residue Limits of Pesticides in Foods" (GB 2763—2021).
These standards aim to ensure the quality and safety of tea products, including restrictions on contaminants and labeling requirements for prepackaged foods.
1.2 Methodological Standards
Regarding methodological standards, commonly used standards include:
"National Food Safety Standard for the Determination of Ash in Foods" (GB 5009.4—2016);
"Determination of Tea Polyphenols and Catechin Content in Tea" (GB/T 8313—2018);
"Determination of Theanine in Tea by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography" (GB/T 23193—2017);
"Determination of Theaflavins in Tea by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography" (GB/T 30483—2013), and the GB 23200 series of methods for the determination of pesticide residues, among others.
These standards regulate the testing methods for various physicochemical indicators, various elements, sanitary indicators, and pesticide residues in tea.
1.3 Foundational Standards
In the area of foundational standards, commonly used standards include:
"Terminology for Sensory Evaluation of Tea" (GB/T 14487—2017);
"Specifications for Clean Production in Tea Processing Factories" (DB35/T 1988—2021);
"General Rules for Tea Competition Organization" (DB35/T 2057—2022);
"Basic Conditions for Tea Sensory Evaluation Rooms" (GB/T 18797—2012);
"Classification of Tea" (GB/T 30766—2014), "Storage of Tea" (GB/T 30375—2013);
"Good Manufacturing Practice for Tea Processing" (GB/T 32744—2016);
"Terminology for Tea Processing" (GB/T 40633—2021).
2. Standards for Dark Tea
The series of national standards for compressed dark teas are among the first set of national tea standards established by the Chinese government, which were promulgated and implemented as early as 1988. This includes two national standards: "Compressed Tea: Flower Brick Tea" (GB/T 9833.1 — 1988) and "Compressed Tea: Dark Brick Tea" (GB/T 9833.2 — 1988). Subsequently, 20 national standards for dark tea have been issued. Among them, "Geographical Indication Product: Pu'er Tea" (GB/T 22111—2008) was revised in 2008, and the series of standards related to compressed dark tea were also revised in 2013, with modifications made to the indicators of water extractables, Eurotium cristatum, non-tea impurities, lead limits, and judgment rules. The requirements and content of the standards have become more rational, adapting in a timely manner to the increasingly stringent market changes. The current dark tea standards in effect are as follows:
"Dark Tea: Basic Requirements" (GB/T 32719.1 — 2016);
"Dark Tea: Hua Juan Tea" (GB/T 32719.2 — 2016);
"Dark Tea: Xiang Jian Tea" (GB/T 32719.3 — 2016);
"Dark Tea: Liu Bao Tea" (GB/T 32719.4 — 2016);
"Dark Tea: Fu Tea" (GB/T 32719.1 — 2018);
"Compressed Tea: Huazhuan Tea" (GB/T 9833.1 — 2013);
"Compressed Tea: Heizhuan Tea" (GB/T 9833.2 — 2013);
"Compressed Tea: Fuzhuan Tea" (GB/T 9833.4 — 2013);
"Compressed Tea: Kangzhuan Tea" (GB/T 9833.5 — 2013);
"Compressed Tea: Tuo Tea" (GB/T 9833.6 — 2013);
"Compressed Tea: Jin Tea" (GB/T 9833.7 — 2013);
"Compressed Tea: Jin Jian Tea" (GB/T 9833.8 — 2013);
"Compressed Tea: Qingzhuan Tea" (GB/T 9833.9 — 2013);
"Technical Specifications for Production and Processing of Compressed Tea" (GB/T 24615 — 2009);
"Good Practice for Cultivation of Tea Plants for Compressed Tea" (GB/T 30377 — 2013);
"Requirements for Raw Materials of Compressed Tea" (GB/T 24614 — 2009);
"Good Practice for Enterprises of Compressed Tea" (GB/T 30378 — 2013);
"Fluoride Content in Brick Tea" (GB/T 19965 — 2005);
"Determination of Fluoride Content in Brick Tea" (GB/T 21728 — 2008);
"Geographical Indication Product: Pu'er Tea" (GB/T 22111 — 2008).
As a supplement to the national standards, local governments have also established several standards for dark tea, including "Ya'an Tibetan Tea" (GH/T 1120—2015), "Solid Instant Pu'er Tea" (GH/T 1244—2019), and "Technical Specification for Control of Fluoride Content in Tea" (GH/T 1126—2016).
3. Standard for Oolong
The standardization of oolong tea is the most well-developed, not only covering a wide range and having comprehensive standards, but also being updated in a timely manner. As of December 31, 2023, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China has published a total of 14 national standards related to oolong tea in China, which are as follows:
"Geographical Indication Product: Wuyi Rock Tea" (GB/T 18745 — 2006);
"Geographical Indication Product: Anxi Tieguanyin" (GB/T 19598 — 2006);
"Geographical Indication Product: Yongchun Buddha's Hand" (GB/T 21824 — 2008);
"Oolong Tea: Basic Requirements" (GB/T 30357.1 — 2003);
"Oolong Tea: Iron Godness (Tieguanyin)" (GB/T 30357.2 — 2003);
"Oolong Tea: Golden Osmanthus (Huangjingui)" (GB/T 30357.3 — 2015);
"Oolong Tea: Water Fairy (Shui Xian)" (GB/T 30357.4 — 2015);
"Oolong Tea: Cinnamon (Rougui)" (GB/T 30357.5 — 2015);
"Oolong Tea: Single Bush (Dancong)" (GB/T 30357.6 — 2017);
"Oolong Tea: Buddha's Hand (Foshou)" (GB/T 30357.7 — 2017);
"Oolong Tea: White Bud Rare Orchid (Bai Ya Qi Lan)" (GB/T 30357.9 — 2020);
"Oolong Tea Processing Specifications" (GB/T 35863 — 2018);
"Taiwan Oolong Tea" (GB/T 39563 — 2020);
"Taiwan Oolong Tea Processing Specifications" (GB/T 39562 — 2020).
In addition to the aforementioned national standards, there are also local standards such as "Zhao'an Eight Immortals (Baxian)" (GH/T 1236—2018), "Zhangping Water Fairy (ShuiXian)" (GH/T 1241—2019), "Varieties of Taiwan Oolong Tea Plants" (DB35/T 1907—2020), "Technical Specifications for Cultivation of Taiwan Oolong Tea Plants" (DB35/T 1908—2020), and "Brewing and Tasting Methods for Taiwan Oolong Tea" (DB35/T 2017—2021).
4. Standards for Green Tea
Although green tea is quite popular in the international market, the number of domestic standards for green tea in China is limited, mainly focusing on geographical indication certification. As of December 31, 2023, there are a total of 17 national standards:
"Green Tea: Basic Requirements" (GB/T 14456.1 — 2017);
"Green Tea: Large-leaf Green Tea" (GB/T 14456.2 — 2018);
"Green Tea: Medium and Small-leaf Green Tea" (GB/T 14456.3 — 2016);
"Green Tea: Pearl Green Tea" (GB/T 14456.4 — 2016);
"Green Tea: Eyebrow Green Tea" (GB/T 14456.5 — 2016);
"Green Tea: Steamed Green Tea" (GB/T 14456.6 — 2016);
"Geographical Indication Product: Laoshan Green Tea" (GB/T 26530 — 2011);
"Geographical Indication Product: Longjing Tea" (GB/T 18650 — 2008);
"Geographical Indication Product: Huangshan Maofeng Tea" (GB/T 19460 — 2008);
"Geographical Indication Product: Dongting Biluochun" (GB/T 18957 — 2008);
"Geographical Indication Product: Taiping Houkui" (GB/T 19698 — 2008);
"Geographical Indication Product: Gugubrow" (GB/T 19691 — 2008);
"Geographical Indication Product: Unow Early" (GB/T 20360 — 2006);
"Geographical Indication Product: Yuhua Tea" (GB/T 20605 — 2006);
"Geographical Indication Product: Anji Bai Cha" (GB/T 20354 — 2006);
"Geographical Indication Product: Lushan Yunwu Tea" (GB/T 21003 — 2007);
"Geographical Indication Product: Xinyang Maojian Tea" (GB/T 22737 — 2008).
5. Standards for Black Tea, White Tea and Yellow Tea
The standards for black tea are relatively few, with a total of 6 national standards currently in place, which are:
"Black Tea: Broken Black Tea" (GB/T 13718.1 — 2017);
"Black Tea: Congou Black Tea" (GB/T 13718.2 — 2017);
"Black Tea: Lapsang Souchong" (GB/T 13718.3 — 2017);
"Compressed Tea: Rice Brick Tea" (GB/T 9833.8 — 2017);
"Geographical Indication Product: Tanyang Gongfu" (GB/T 24710 — 2009);
"Technical Specification for Processing Black Tea" (GB/T 35810 — 2018).
Similar to Black Tea, the national standards for White Tea are also relatively few, with currently only four in place:
"White Tea" (GB/T 22291 — 2017);
"Compressed White Tea" (GB/T 31751 — 2015);
"Technical Specification for Processing White Tea" (GB/T 32743 — 2016);
"Geographical Indication Product: Zhenghe White Tea" (GB/T 22109 — 2008).
However, in addition to national standards, there are a multitude of industry and local standards. For instance, the "Technical Specification for Processing Compressed White Tea" (GH/T 1242—2019) approved and published by the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, as well as the "White Tea Storage Specification" (T/CTSS 1—2018) and "Aged Compressed White Tea" (T/CSTEA 00054—2023) group standards targeting the aging and storage of white tea. There are also local standards for the brewing and tasting of white tea, such as the "Jianyang Xiaobai Tea Brewing and Tasting Guidelines" (T/MCYX 011—2023), "Jianyang Shui Xian White Tea Brewing and Tasting Guidelines" (T/MCYX 010—2023), and "Songxi Jiu Long Da Bai Tea Brewing and Tasting" (T/CSTEA 00062—2023).
Among all types of tea, yellow tea has the fewest national standards, with currently only two in place:
"Yellow Tea" (GB/T 21726 — 2018);
"Technical Specification for Processing Yellow Tea" (GB/T 39592 — 2020).