Hi all... just stumbled across this group during a google search for
the caffeine content of various teas. Glad to see it too!

My question now is this... is there some handy, pocket-sized index of
chinese characters and their english translation that anyone knows
about? I don't want to know how to find the bus stop or what to order
at a fast food place... so I'd rather not try to pick through a
"traveler's guide." What has puzzled me for the last several years is
how to make sense of the Chinese characters on tea containers. I go to
the asian market to buy tea, and although many brands provide a small
english subtitle somewhere, there are many more which simply don't. I
can't tell you how often I've bought a particular container of tea
basing my choice on whether I liked the color of the package<grin>!
Although, to be honest, I usually can find someone who will at least
tell me whether it is supposed to be green, black, oolong, etc.

Still, as any tea fancier knows, that doesn't really tell one that
much. I yearn to be able to descipher what the manufacturer is telling
me on the label. Does is come from a particular province? Is it
almost guaranteed to promote longetivity, happiness and a calm spirit?
Does it own a special name? ("5 Step Happiness Tea?") I, however, am
ignorant and illiterate in the Chinese language and would love to
acquire just a BIT of it, anyway. Trying to take on the whole language
is too daunting and fatiguing a prospect!

So if anyone here could point me in the right direction on this
problem, I would be very grateful. (I DO know one character by
heart... the one that means TEA. Beautiful little thing it is too.)

Thanks,
Whytebyrd