Hubei tea: from steamed green to Russian brick

湖北茶 · hú běi chá

Hubei sits on the ancient 'Tea Road' to Russia. Enshi Yulu green, Yichang black (宜红) and Chibi's compressed brick tea (青砖茶) tell three centuries of the province's trade.

Enshi Yulu (恩施玉露): needle-shaped, jade-green, steamed rather than pan-fired. Sweet, marine, umami — the closest China comes to Japanese gyokuro.

Yangloudong (羊楼洞) near Chibi pressed tea into bricks for camel caravans to Mongolia and Russia from the 1600s; the old street still stands and bricks are still made.

Tea etiquette: hot water is offered everywhere for free; refuse nothing, sip slowly, and tap two fingers to thank the pourer.