Rankings
Best Chinese Teas: Top 10 Teas to Try
If you only try ten teas in your life, start here. These are our picks — ranked by beginner-friendliness, fame, and value — with the best of each category below.
Looking for the best Chinese teas to try? Here are our top 10 picks across all six types — from the smoothest green teas like Longjing to the most complex aged pu-erhs. Whether you're a complete beginner or a seasoned tea drinker, this list covers the most iconic, beginner-friendly, and best-value Chinese teas you should taste at least once.
Last updated August 2026.
How we ranked these
These are honest editorial picks, not aggregated user votes — we don't publish rating scores we don't have. Each tea is ranked for its beginner-friendliness (how forgiving it is to brew), fame (how iconic it is within Chinese tea culture), and value (what you get for the price). The six-category winners are the best example of each type we cover.
The Ten to Try First
Top 10 Chinese Teas
Longjing (Dragon Well)
GreenChina's most famous tea and the best place to start with greens — nutty, smooth, and endlessly drinkable.
Tie Guan Yin (Iron Goddess of Mercy)
OolongThe perfect entry oolong: floral, creamy, and built for the gongfu method it helped popularize.
Silver Needle (Bai Hao Yin Zhen)
WhiteThe gentlest tea on earth and the most forgiving to brew — the purest expression of the leaf.
Keemun (Qimen)
BlackThe bridge from Western black tea — malty and smooth with a winey, floral depth.
Anji Bai Cha
GreenA modern classic: albino leaves give it an umami sweetness with zero bitterness.
Biluochun
GreenThe fruity green — apricot and flowers in a cup, one of China's Ten Famous Teas.
Dian Hong (Yunnan Black)
BlackThe sweetest black tea — cocoa and sweet potato, thick enough to drink plain or with milk.
Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe)
OolongThe legendary rock oolong — a taste of Wuyi's mineral 'rock rhyme' and charcoal depth.
Pu-erh (Shou / Ripe)
DarkThe coffee drinker's tea — earthy, smooth, and warming, with an almost chewy body.
Huangshan Maofeng
GreenA floral green from Yellow Mountain — orchid notes and a long, sweet finish.
One Winner Per Type
Best Chinese Tea by Category
The definitive example of each of the six types — the one to taste if you want to understand that category.
Best Green Tea
Longjing (Dragon Well)
Fresh, nutty, chestnut, sweet finish
Runner-up: Anji Bai Cha
Best White Tea
Silver Needle (Bai Hao Yin Zhen)
Soft, melon, hay, natural sweetness
Runner-up: White Peony
Best Yellow Tea
Junshan Silver Needle
Mellow, honeyed, sweet, smooth
Genuinely rare
Best Oolong Tea
Tie Guan Yin (Iron Goddess of Mercy)
Floral, orchid, creamy, lingering sweetness
Runner-up: Da Hong Pao
Best Black Tea
Keemun (Qimen)
Malty, smooth, cocoa, hint of smoke
Runner-up: Dian Hong
Best Dark Tea
Pu-erh (Shou / Ripe)
Earthy, woody, smooth, dark chocolate
Runner-up: Sheng Pu-erh
Situational Picks
Best Tea For…
Best Value
Big character, tiny price — the workhorse green.
Try: Gunpowder Green (Zhu Cha)
Best Splurge
Bud-only Wuyi black tea with honey and lychee — made for celebrating.
Try: Jin Jun Mei (Golden Eyebrow)
Best for Cold Brew
Naturally sweet and impossible to over-brew.
Try: Silver Needle (Bai Hao Yin Zhen)
Best for Aging at Home
The affordable white tea that actually gets better with time.
Try: Shou Mei (Longevity Eyebrow)
Ready to Drink Better Tea?
From your first cup to your tenth infusions — everything here moves you from curiosity to a better cup.