18 Best Chinese Beverages

Green tea is an ancient Chinese drink made from Camellia sinensis leaves and buds that have not undergone the withering and oxidation process.

Instead, green tea is only pan-fried lightly before being steeped in hot water, resulting in a light green color and an aroma like fresh-cut grasses.

This non-alcoholic drink offers a fresh, subtle flavor, light green color, and mellow, soothing taste.

The brewing process for green tea requires lower water temperatures (around 170° F) and shorter brewing times compared to black or oolong teas

Black tea is a traditional Chinese drink that is excellent at complementing the flavors of Chinese foods with strong flavors, whether sweet or savory.

This type of tea is more intense than green tea because of having dried and fermented tea leaves as the main ingredient.

The oxidation levels affect black tea’s appearance: the higher they are, the darker the tea becomes.

Baijiu is a strong Chinese grain spirit and potent beverage. Considered China’s national beverage, Baijiu is a social lubricant that appears at many feasts and banquets in the country.

Baijiu boasts an alcohol content between 35% and 65% and a distinctly sweet and sour taste.

The main ingredients of Baijiu are fermented sorghum, water, and optional ingredients like sticky rice or wheat. Some versions are even infused with fruits, namely pomelos, goji berries, Chinese hawthorns, and plums.

Moutai or Maotai is a premium Baijiu variety with a savory profile, while Erguotou is a type of inexpensive and light aroma Baiju.

Huangjiu (aka yellow wine) is among the most authentic beverages in China, with the alcohol content ranging from 8% to 20%.

The color of Huangjiu can range from pale yellow to amber, and it has a variety of flavor profiles, from sweet to semi-sweet to dry.

The production process of Huangjiu involves complex fermentation techniques and often includes the use of a unique Chinese fermentation agent known as “qu,” which is a combination of various molds, yeasts, and bacteria.

Soy milk is one of the most delicious Chinese breakfast drinks.

Locals prepare it by boiling soybean flour in water and filtering out any solids before adding aromatics (if any), creating an easily digestible and nutritious drink.

This protein-rich and alcohol-free beverage has been widely loved in China since the Eastern Han dynasty more than two thousand years ago.

Warm soy milk and youtiao is a popular breakfast combo in many parts of China and Taiwan.

Bubble tea (or pearl milk tea) features tea (black, green, or oolong), milk, sugar, and chewy tapioca pearls. The last ingredient creates the “bubbles” in bubble tea.

Originating in Taiwan around the 1980s, bubble tea has won Chinese affection and that of many Western countries.

Bubble tea can be served either hot or cold and is usually shaken to ensure all the ingredients are well-mixed. Bubble tea can be considered a dessert as well.

Health-friendly versions of bubble tea often contain fruit pieces and fruit juices, with lychees, persimmons, and kiwis being popular options.

Oolong tea is a famous Chinese drink and a cross of green and black tea in terms of flavors. It’s a semi-oxidized tea variety with a uniquely floral, fruity, and nutty flavor.

Adjusting the oxidation is laborious work that drives up the production cost of oolong tea. The good news is that oolong is one of the most health-beneficial tea types.

Coming from Fujian province, Tieguanyin, literally “Iron Goddess of Mercy,” is one of China’s best oolong tea varieties.

Pu’er tea (also called pu-erh tea) is an expensive Chinese beverage created by ethnic groups in Yunnan province.

This tea variety offers such an earthy and woody taste. But the aftertaste is delightfully sweet and mellow, making rich dim sum much more addictive.

Pu’er tea is a fermented tea made by traditional methods and extensive aging. However, the raw (non-fermented) counterpart is also worth trying.

This Chinese tea comes in various packaged forms, such as cakes, bricks, or mushrooms. Yunnan is the best place to find high-quality pu’er tea.

White tea has a subtly sweet taste and floral fragrance. White tea is best enjoyed without sugar or milk.

This type of low-caffeine tea comes from the mountainous Fujian province in southeastern China.

Local people harvest the young tea buds and leaves in the early season when they still have snowy white hair, hence the name.

Jasmine tea is basically green or black tea scented with jasmine blossoms. This is achieved by layering the tea leaves with jasmine petals.

Originating in China during the Song Dynasty, jasmine tea is celebrated for its delicate, subtly sweet aroma and flavor.

It is often consumed after meals or in the evening.

Chrysanthemum tea is a traditional Chinese beverage made from dried chrysanthemum flowers. It has a delicate, floral aroma and a light taste that is slightly sweet with a hint of earthiness.

The color of the brewed tea can range from pale to bright yellow, depending on the type of chrysanthemum flowers used and the brewing time.

It is typically served hot but can also be enjoyed as a refreshing cold beverage.

Chrysanthemum tea is believed to have cooling effects on the body. However, only two or three servings per week are recommended.

Mijiu is a type of Chinese wine derived from sticky rice.

All Mijiu varieties share a combination of distinct sweetness and mild sourness. Also, their standard alcohol content is usually between 15% and 20%. Mijiu needs to be served warm.

Many Chinese people like to flavor Mijiu with fragrant flowers to create scented wine. The most famous Mijiu of this kind is osmanthus wine.

Beer in China is generally characterized by its light, crisp, and often mildly hoppy flavor, typically falling into the larger category.

These beers are usually pale in color and have a relatively low alcohol content, often around 3-5%.

Renowned beer brands in China are Tsingtao beer, snow beer, Yanjing beer, Wusu beer, and Sinkiang black beer.

Jiuniang (also known as sweet rice wine) is a well-known Chinese drink and soup-like sweet treat.

It’s made from glutinous rice fermented with a yeast starter called “qu.” The low alcohol content of Jiuniang, between 1% and 2%, makes it a terrific digestif.

Overall, jiuniang is a milky-white, aromatic, and slightly sweet treat with soft rice grains. It can be consumed on its own as a sweet drink or dessert, often served warm.

Suanmeitang (or sour plum drink) is a traditional Chinese beverage known for its distinctive sweet and sour flavor.

This drink is made from smoked plums, known as “suanmei,” along with other ingredients like osmanthus flowers, hawthorns, licorice, and sometimes sweetening agents like rock sugar or monk fruit extract.

The process of making Suanmeitang involves boiling these ingredients together, resulting in a deep, reddish-brown liquid.

Suanmeitang is often consumed during the hot summer months in China as it is believed to have cooling properties.

Leung cha, or cooling tea, is a traditional beloved Chinese beverage and herbal tea hailing from Guangdong.

This traditional Chinese herbal tea is typically made from sweeteners and various herbs and plants, such as chrysanthemum, honeysuckle, mulberry leaves, and lotus leaves.

The resulting taste is a combination of sweet, bitter, and earthy notes with a lot of floral fragrance.

Cooling tea is a beverage during summer months since locals believe it balances the body’s internal temperature and alleviates heat-related discomforts.

Kombucha is a thirst-quenching Chinese option with addictively tart, fruity, and almost sweet flavors.

While kombucha is originally Chinese, its name is a Japanese loan word. Chinese people usually refer to it as “hong cha jun,” meaning “black tea mushroom” in China.

The most popular way to make kombucha is to ferment black or green tea (or both) with bacteria or yeast.

Since kombucha contains very little alcohol (less than 5%), it is counted as a non-alcoholic drink.

Yunnan coffee refers to coffee produced in the Yunnan province of China.

Arabica Catimor, Typica, and Bourbon coffee varieties were grown in Yunnan in the 1980s and eventually became famous throughout China.

The fruits they produce have a delicious fragrance and a fruity sweetness that tastes just right. In fact, all Starbucks outlets in mainland China use Yunnan coffee.

It is great to sip Yunnan coffee with desserts, pastries, and certain main dishes.