How is black tea classified? Historically, the earliest black tea to appear was the small-leaf black tea first created in Chong’an County, Fujian Province, China, known as the ‘ancestor of black tea’. Modern black tea varieties have increased, and they can be divided into two categories based on processing techniques: black strip tea and black broken tea. Black strip tea is suitable for clear drinking, while black broken tea is suitable for blending.
Black strip tea: Black strip tea includes many varieties, which are further divided into small-leaf black tea and Gongfu black tea based on different initial processing methods. Small-leaf black tea mainly includes Zhengshan Xiaozhong and Jin Jun Mei; Gongfu black tea mainly includes Zhenghe Gongfu, Bailin Gongfu, Keemun, and Dian Hong, among others. 1. Small-leaf black tea is a specialty of Fujian Province in China, an export black tea, divided into Zhengshan Xiaozhong and artificial small-leaf (external mountain small-leaf).
Why is black tea so popular abroad? 1. Historical reasons: Tea originates from China. In the past, when transportation was not well-developed, it took a considerable amount of time to transport tea from China to Europe and other places. The quality of green tea would change during this process, and by the time it reached its destination, the fresh aroma of green tea would be lost. However, black tea is not affected by the inconvenience of transportation.
2. Quality reasons: Black tea is not only easier to preserve than green tea but also does not spoil easily at room temperature. Black tea has floral and fruity fragrances, with a rich, fresh, and strong taste. Europeans consume dairy and meat products, so the taste of black tea is more suitable for their needs. 3. Suitable for blending: Europeans enjoy adding various seasonings to their tea, such as sugar, milk, lemon, mint, and vanilla essences. Proper blending is more suitable for European tastes, while green tea is more suitable for pure drinking and not blending. What are the famous black teas in China, and what are their characteristics? Black tea is a major export tea variety in China, with a wide variety and complete range. Each type of black tea has its regional characteristics, with unique quality in color, aroma, and taste. 1. Keemun black tea: The appearance is slender and slightly curved, with a pointed tip, dark and moist color, slightly grayish, and the aroma is similar to honey or apples. The soup color is bright red, with a fresh and sweet taste; the leaf base is bright red. 2. Yunnan black tea: The appearance is plump and tightly knotted, with a dark and moist color, red-brown, and many golden tips, with a high and fresh aroma. The soup color is bright red with a golden halo, with a thick taste and strong stimulation; the leaf base is thick. 3. Bai Lin Gong Fu: The appearance is slender and curved, with a yellow-black color, many white hairs, pure aroma, and a licorice scent. The soup color is light and bright, with a fresh and slightly light taste; the leaf base is bright red with yellow. 4. Zhenghe Gong Fu: The appearance is tightly knotted and curly, with a gray-black color, high aroma with a fresh sweetness, bright red soup color, and a mellow taste; the leaf base is thick and red. 5. Lapsang Souchong: The appearance is thick long and, with a heavy body, dark black and oily color, and a pine smoke aroma. The soup color is deep golden yellow, syrup-like, with a mellow taste, similar to longan soup; the leaf base is thick and smooth, with an ancient copper color. 6. Jin Jun Mei: The appearance is tightly knotted and plump, with golden, yellow, and black colors. The soup color is golden yellow, with a golden halo, and the aroma is floral, fruity, and honey-like. The taste is fresh and sweet; the leaf base is stretched. Why is Jin Jun Mei more expensive than ordinary black tea? Jin Jun Mei was developed and produced in 2005 by Mr. Jiang Yuanxun, the 24th generation of the Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong family, and his team. Jin Jun Mei has been improved on the traditional production process of Wuyi Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong, using innovative technology to develop high-end black tea. Its price is much higher than ordinary black tea, mainly for the following reasons. 1. The raw material cost of Jin Jun Mei is high: Jin Jun Mei is a type of Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong, and its raw materials are picked from the Wuyi Mountain National Nature Reserve. The area of tea tree cultivation is not large, and the tea trees are scattered, so the cost of picking is very high. Therefore, the cost of genuine Jin Jun Mei raw materials is also relatively high.2. High labor costs for Jin Jun Mei: The raw material used for Jin Jun Mei consists entirely of tea buds, which requires workers to handpick from the tea trees. To produce one pound of Jin Jun Mei, it takes 60,000 to 80,000 buds, making the production cost relatively high.
3. Market demand leads to high prices: Jin Jun Mei is a high-end black tea developed using innovative technology. It retains the excellent characteristics of traditional Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong black tea and innovates in terms of appearance and tea quality. This significantly satisfies the needs of high-end market consumers. The introduction of Jin Jun Mei not only fills the gap in the domestic market for high-end black teas but also enriches the black tea market. Does the tea soup becoming turbid indicate spoiled tea? When drinking black tea, one might notice that the tea soup becomes turbid after cooling, leading to the assumption that the tea has spoiled. However, turbidity in black tea soup is not an indication of spoilage but a unique and normal phenomenon known as ‘cold turbidity’. ‘Cold turbidity’ is a characteristic of black tea and one of the features of high-quality, premium black teas. High-grade black teas contain more theaflavins and thearubigins, which react with caffeine in the tea and dissolve in the tea soup during brewing. As the tea soup cools, it changes from clear to turbid, forming a light brown or orange emulsion. When the tea soup temperature rises, the ‘cold turbidity’ phenomenon disappears. When selecting black tea, one can brew a cup, let it cool, and observe whether the ‘cold turbidity’ phenomenon occurs to judge the quality of the black tea.
