I don’t remember my first experience of tea at home, but I remember drinking it along with my childhood favourite dim-sum, barbeque pork buns.

Yum Cha is a typical brunch for many Chinese living in the southern parts of China. It is most popular in Hong Kong, (where I come from) and now very popular in many parts of the world where there is a large Cantonese community.

After you sit down, a pot of tea is automatically given to you before you start the meal. Typically, unless you asked for something else, it is Jasmine Green tea. In Hong Kong it will be Puerh black tea.

Then you will be greeted by trolley after trolley of small savoury and sweet items, such as buns, dumplings, fried pastries, and my other favourite, rice paper rolls (cheong fun) are offered.

It is like a buffet, except the food comes to you.

Many people think Yum Cha is the place to drink tea. After all, what else is better to wash down all those naughty spring rolls and deep fried bread besides tea?

Yum Cha without tea would be kind of weird. After all, Yum Cha means “drink tea”. 

However, this is where I have to tell you the truth.

The truth about tea in Yum Cha is going to shift you from any tea drinker to a savvy one. The waiting staff in the Chinese restaurants are going to give you the look of approval as you know the stuff!

So what is the truth?

The truth is Yum Cha is NOT the place to have tea.

Wait, beside you charging me for treason (just joking), I need to tell you that I still love tea with Yum Cha, but to have DECENT tea, you need to go somewhere else.

So here are my insider tips on Yum Cha –

After sitting down, you should be asked what tea you would like. This step is often omitted for non-Chinese and Jasmine green tea is served by default. If you want something else, ask. However, your tea choices in Yum Cha are pretty limited, named here by popularity: 

• Jasmine Green Tea  
• Sometimes just called “Jasmine tea”, it is floral and digestive. Great with buns.

• Pu-erh 
• This is more of the default tea served in many Chinese eateries. Its dark brown brew is NOT an indication of its strength. It is actually pretty gentle, and great for digestion especially while eating red meat.

• Tie Guan Yin or simply Oolong 
• Oolong is regarded as a good weight loss tea in Asia. Oolong comes in many grades and flavours – some taste more like green tea and others taste more like black tea. The “Yum Cha varieties” will be more towards the black tea tasting like, with a little nutty flavour.

• Long Jing 
• Prized Green Tea and one of the most well known teas from China - Also referred to as Dragon Well

• Chrysanthemum 
• Want “non-tea” tea or eating with kids? Go for Chrysanthemum. This flower tea is light, mellow and tastes great to help feeling “cleaned” after a feast of dough and meat. Kids friendly. Great iced too (ask for a glass of iced water and mix it with Chrysanthemum).

Tea Tips for Yum Cha Fans

Tea served in Yum Cha is poor grade. It is pretty rare you find good tea in Yum Cha. If they do, they will charge you extra, say $10-$20 a pot.

If you are eating with a big group, don’t be afraid to ask for 2 pots of tea for the table.

Yum Cha Etiquette

• You don’t need to drink up all the tea. In fact, Chinese will keep topping up your cup if you are eating with one – it is politeness. And it is politeness that you don’t totally drink all the tea in the cup. Always leave a drop or so.
• Never fill the cup over 80% – over that will be too hot to hold the cup.
• If your teapot is empty, open the teapot and place the lid in an angle on top of the teapot. This is the Yum Cha insider talk of “please fill my pot with water”.

Open teapot lid to ask for refill

• When you pour tea, always pour for the eldest person in the group first, and yourself last. It is good manner to do so.

Don’t forget to venture out! If you are in Rome, do what Romans do, then in the case of going in a Chinese restaurant, try different tea! Though the tea is not amazing, but trying different tea in Yum Cha would help you explore different tea types – green tea, white tea, oolong and so on.

If you dare, try the chicken feet. Your chopstick skill would surely improve if you do! If you love sweets, then the Sweet Tofu and steamed lotus root paste buns are your must-haves!

4 Popular Yum Cha Tea

Long Jing	Jasmine Green	Chrysanthemum	Tie Guan Yin