Chinese Tea for Dim Sum: Pu'er, Jasmine, Oolong and More

The teas you are most likely to meet at a Cantonese yum cha table are pu'er, jasmine, tieguanyin, shoumei, chrysanthemum pu'er and longjing. As a simple rule, earthy pu'er and roasted oolongs stand up to rich, savoury dim sum, while floral jasmine, fresh green longjing and mellow white shoumei suit delicate steamed dishes. Beyond that, the best tea is the one your table enjoys refilling all morning.

Why tea comes first

Yum cha means "drink tea", and the order of the words matters. Before the first basket arrives, the table settles on a pot. That pot will be refilled with hot water again and again over a long meal, so teahouse teas tend to be ones that keep giving flavour across many infusions, and that taste good alongside food rather than only on their own.

Most tables choose one tea and stay with it. Larger groups sometimes order two pots, one dark and one light, and pass them according to what is on the table.

Six teas you will meet at yum cha

Pu'er (普洱 póu léi, often written bo lei)

From Yunnan province in southwest China, pu'er is the tea most closely tied to Cantonese teahouses. The ripe (熟 suhk) style most common in teahouses is aged and fermented, brewing up dark red-brown with an earthy, woody, almost forest-floor depth and very little bitterness. It is forgiving: it tolerates long steeping and many refills, which is one reason it suits a busy dining room. Raw (生 sāang) pu'er is lighter and sharper, and more often found in tea shops than at dim sum.

Jasmine (香片 hēung pín)

Usually green tea scented with fresh jasmine blossoms, which are layered with the leaves until their perfume passes into the tea. Fujian province is especially known for it. The cup is pale gold and fragrant, with a light body. The Cantonese name, heung pin, means roughly "fragrant leaves".

Tieguanyin (鐵觀音 tit gwūn yām)

An oolong from Anxi in Fujian, named after Guanyin, the bodhisattva of compassion; several legends compete to explain the name. Tieguanyin ranges from light and floral, with an orchid-like aroma, to darker roasted styles with toasty, nutty notes. The roasted kind is a traditional teahouse favourite.

Shoumei (壽眉 sauh mèih)

A white tea from Fujian, made from larger, later-picked leaves and only lightly processed. It brews a soft amber with a mellow, slightly sweet taste that people often compare to hay, dried fruit or honey. It has long been a familiar teahouse choice in Hong Kong, appreciated for being gentle and easy to drink.

Chrysanthemum pu'er (菊普 gūk póu)

Not a separate tea but a house blend: pu'er brewed together with dried chrysanthemum flowers. The flowers lift pu'er's earthiness with a floral, faintly honeyed note, and the result is rounder and lighter than pu'er alone. For many first-timers who find straight pu'er too earthy, this is the gateway.

Longjing (龍井 lùhng jéng)

Dragon Well, the celebrated green tea from the West Lake area of Hangzhou in Zhejiang province. Its leaves are pressed flat during pan-firing, which gives the tea a characteristic toasted-chestnut aroma and a fresh, clean, gently vegetal taste. It is the most delicate of the six, and best not left to stew in the pot.

Matching tea to rich dim sum

Dishes built on soy, fat, char and frying want a tea with enough body to meet them. Pu'er is the classic partner: its earthy depth sits comfortably beside Spareribs with Pumpkin in Black Bean Sauce, Beef Tendon in Chu Hou Sauce, Black Pepper Beef Short Ribs or a basket of Steamed BBQ Pork Buns, and many diners find it leaves the palate feeling refreshed between bites. Chrysanthemum pu'er does the same job a little more gently, and a roasted tieguanyin brings toasty notes that echo pan-fried and baked dishes such as Pan-Fried Daikon Radish Cake or Baked Lemon BBQ Pork Pastry.

Good matches for rich dishes:

• pu'er or chrysanthemum pu'er with braised, saucy and barbecued dishes
• roasted tieguanyin with pan-fried, baked and deep-fried items
• pu'er with clay pot rice and its crisp, savoury crust

Matching tea to delicate dim sum

Steamed seafood dumplings and rice rolls are about sweetness, freshness and texture: the snap of shrimp, the translucence of a wrapper, the silkiness of a steamed rice sheet. A heavy tea can drown them. Jasmine's perfume and longjing's fresh, nutty clarity leave room for Neptune Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow), Three-Mushroom Crystal Dumplings or Rice Rolls with Jumbo Prawns & Yellow Chives. Shoumei sits somewhere in the middle: soft enough for delicate dishes, rounded enough to carry on into dessert, where it is lovely with Freshly Baked Egg Tarts or Steamed Pomelo Sponge Cake (Ma Lai Go).

There is no wrong answer. Plenty of families drink pu'er through every course, and a table that orders across the menu will happily share one pot.

Ordering tea at the table

• Ask what is being poured. Restaurants rotate and vary their teas, so the simplest way to choose is to ask your server what is on offer today.
• Describe what you like. "Something light and floral" or "something dark and smooth" is enough for a server to steer you.
• Ask for a fresh pot. After many refills the leaves fade; a new pot is a normal request.
• Leave the lid ajar for hot water. It is the teahouse signal for a refill.

Tea at Neptune Palace

At Neptune Palace, every dim sum meal begins with tea. Each guest pays a tea and condiment charge of $1.99, whether you drink tea or water. Which teas are available can vary, so ask your server what is being poured today and choose with your order in mind.

Dim sum is served daily from the morning until 3pm at our Vancouver location in Marine Gateway, by Marine Drive Canada Line station, and at our Burnaby location in The Amazing Brentwood, by Brentwood Town Centre SkyTrain station. Pour a cup, order a basket of har gow and see which tea your table keeps reaching for.

Questions, answered