What kind of tea is served in Chinese restaurants?

Many Chinese restaurants serve a type of oolong tea known as Shui Xian tea. While restaurants serve a relatively cheap form of the tea, the original drink is dark brown in color with a taste reminiscent of honey and peach.

As with other types of tea, oolong tea is made from the camellia sinensis plant. This style of tea is made with one bud and three leaves that are picked and then left to dry in the sun. Tea makers then roll the leaves and bud to release their flavor and scent before roasting them.

Consumed for centuries in China, oolong tea is just beginning to catch on beyond Chinese restaurants in the West.