My grandma had a saying which is seldom heard nowadays "I wouldn't do that for all the tea in China!" she would say when pushed to do something that she did not want to do. I guess it arose at a time when tea from China was rare and the preserve of the rich and was something that the masses did not have access to. The many different types of Chinese tea have become increasingly common in everyday life, with many people choosing them because of their potential benefits to health. There are many different varieties of Chinese tea, some of the most common types are briefly described below. In future articles, I will describe some of the health giving properties that each type is reputed to confer.