In Southern Min (Minnan) dialect, the words Sheng Cha (生茶) and Qing Cha (青茶) sound almost the same — but don’t be fooled! These two teas are completely different in meaning, category, and processing method. The term “Shou Cha” (熟茶), or “ripe tea”, is also often misunderstood and misused in the market.
So, what are the real definitions of Qing Cha, Sheng Cha, and Shou Cha? And how can you tell them apart?
🌿 Qing Cha = Oolong Tea
Qing Cha (青茶) is one of the six traditional categories of Chinese tea. In academic terms, it’s known as a semi-fermented tea. It’s processed using specific steps like withering, tossing (yaoqing), fixation (shaqing), rolling, and roasting.
Qing Cha is also known internationally as Oolong tea, with famous varieties like Tieguanyin, Da Hong Pao, and Dong Ding. Oolong sits right between green tea and black tea — it has the freshness of green tea and the rich aroma of black tea, often enhanced by roasting.
🟢 Sheng Cha = Unroasted, Freshly Processed Tea
Sheng Cha (生茶) literally means “raw tea.” It refers to freshly processed tea leaves that haven’t undergone high-temperature roasting yet. Think of it as “raw material” tea, also called “Mao Cha” (毛茶)” in Chinese.
🍞 A Bread Metaphor:
If Mao Cha is like freshly baked bread, then drinking Sheng Cha is like eating plain toast slices — tasting it in its purest form. But once you put that toast in an oven and roast it at different temperatures, you start to get different aromas and textures — just like how roasting transforms Sheng Cha into Shou Cha (熟茶).
🔥 Shou Cha = Roasted Tea
Shou Cha (熟茶) means “ripe” or “roasted” tea. Once a tea undergoes roasting, its flavor profile changes dramatically — from green and grassy to toasty, nutty, or caramel-like.
The degree of roasting matters:
- 💨 Light roast = dry texture, retains original tea aroma
- 🔥 Medium roast = golden surface, aromatic, slightly crispy
- ♨️ Heavy roast = darkened surface, strong flavor, crisp mouthfeel
That’s why in traditional tea craftsmanship, people refer to roast levels like “one-part fire”, “half ripe”, or “fully ripe” — describing how “cooked” the tea is through roasting.
🍂 What About Black Tea and Green Tea?
Here’s where it gets interesting:
Black Tea:
- Fully fermented
- No roasting in the standard process
- ✅ Can be considered a type of Sheng Cha
Green Tea:
- Non-fermented
- Usually unroasted to preserve freshness
- ✅ Mostly considered Sheng Cha
- ⚠️ Exception: some green teas like Pingtung Port tea (Taiwan) or certain Japanese senchas may undergo roasting — in which case they become Shou Cha
So whether a tea is Sheng or Shou depends not on color, but on roasting process.
Black Tea (Hei Cha) Is a Different Story: It’s About Aging, Not Roasting
Let’s not forget Hei Cha (黑茶) — the dark, post-fermented tea family that includes Pu-erh. You might hear about “raw Pu-erh” and “ripe Pu-erh”, but neither of them goes through roasting.
Instead, “ripe” Pu-erh is aged via:
- Natural aging over years
- Wet-piling fermentation (wo dui)
So the “ripeness” in Hei Cha is not due to roasting, but due to microbial fermentation and time. That’s why we should call it “aged” or “matured”, rather than “Shou Cha” in the roasting sense — to avoid confusion.
🧭 Summary: Quick Comparison Chart
| Tea Type | Fermentation | Roasted? | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qing Cha | Semi | ✅ Yes | Oolong / Six Teas | Floral, fruity, toasted |
| Sheng Cha | Varies | ❌ No | Processing State | Fresh, grassy, original aroma |
| Shou Cha | Varies | ✅ Yes | Processing State | Caramel, nutty, thick |
| Hei Cha (Pu-erh) | Post-fermented | ❌ No | One of Six Teas | Aged by time or fermentation |
📌 Final Thoughts
Don’t judge a tea’s “sheng” or “shou” status by its color or soup alone. Look deeper into:
- Whether it was roasted
- Whether it was fermented
- How it was aged or processed
Only then can we truly appreciate the complexity and beauty of Chinese tea craftsmanship. 🍃
Adapted from 《The World of Oolong Tea》by Chen Huantang & Lin Shiwei, with modern interpretation and additions.
SKS Nutrition 
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