What is black tea? Why are Dahongpao and Pu-erh (ripe tea) not considered black teas? What is the oldest black tea in the world called? What are the classifications of black tea? What are the main producing areas and representative teas of black tea? What are the differences in quality characteristics among different types of black tea?
Origins of black tea: It is said that in Jiangdun, Xingcun, Wuyi Mountain, at an altitude of about 1500 meters, the villagers have been making and trading tea for generations. One year at the end of the Ming Dynasty, an army passed through Jiangdun, and the soldiers slept on the tea leaves. After the army left, the tea leaves had begun to ferment to varying degrees. The villagers quickly rolled the tea leaves and then dried them with local pine needles, creating a tea with a unique pine resin fragrance.
Black Tea Classification (Hand-drawn by the editor) from the WeChat public account ‘Authentic Tea Quest’ (1) Zhengshan Xiaozhong: Definition: Zhengshan Xiaozhong refers to the fresh leaves of tea plants produced in Tongmu Village, Xingcun Town, Wuyi Mountain City, and within the natural protection area of Wuyi Mountain. It is made using traditional local craftsmanship and has a unique flavor resembling dried longan and pine smoke, a black tea product. According to product quality, it is divided into four grades: special grade, first grade, second grade, and third grade. (From GB/T13738.3-2012) Classification: (Craftsmanship) 1. Traditional craftsmanship: Smoky Xiaozhong quality characteristics: Pine smoke aroma, Longan soup (bacon flavor) 2. New craftsmanship derivatives: Smoke-free Xiaozhong ① Whole bud picking: Jinjunmei ② One bud and one leaf picking: Yinjunmei ③ One bud and two leaves picking: Tongjunmei (Xiao Chi Gan) ④ One bud and three leaves picking: (Da Chi Gan) ⑤ Feizi Xiao (Blended black tea) (Note: There is a debate about whether Yinjunmei, Tongjunmei can be directly equated with Xiao Chi Gan, Da Chi Gan, and tea enthusiasts are welcome to express their opinions) Zhengshan Xiaozhong sensory grade quality requirements: (2) Jinjunmei (jinjunmei tea) Definition: According to GH/T 1118-2015, Jinjunmei is made from single buds of high mountain tea plants in the Wuyi Mountain National Nature Reserve centered around Tongmu Guan Village, Xingcun Town, Wuyi Mountain City, using a unique process of withering, rolling, fermentation, and drying, and has the quality characteristics of ‘golden yellow soup color, sweetness in the soup, and fragrance in the sweetness’. The birth of Jinjunmei: At the end of the 19th century, black tea gradually declined due to various factors. As the 24th generation inheritor of Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea, Jiang Yuanxun has a deep sense of mission and responsibility to revive Zhengshan Xiaozhong. He started picking tea at the age of 9 and learned tea making from his grandfather at the age of 13. From 1977 to 1987, he learned tea making at Tongmu Tea Factory in Tongmu Village, Wuyi Mountain City, Fujian Province; from 1988 to 1996, he served as workshop director, accountant, and factory manager at Tongmu Tea Factory; in 1997, he founded Yuanxun Tea Factory, which was later restructured into Fujian Zhengshantang Tea Industry Co. , Ltd. In 2005, Mr. Jiang Yuanxun led a team (team members include: Jiang Yuanxun, Liang Junde, Yan Yifeng, Zhang Mengjiang, Sun Lianquan, Jiang Junfa, Hu Jixing, etc.), based on the inheritance of more than four hundred years of black tea culture and traditional skills, through innovation and integration, developed the top-grade black tea Jinjunmei. It has driven the development of the entire black tea industry and sparked a revival of Chinese black tea. The meaning of the name Jinjunmei: Gold: • Color representation: The dry tea is yellow and black, with a shiny and oily color, and the brewed soup is golden yellow, featuring the color characteristics of ‘gold’.
Symbol of Value: Jin Jun Mei is harvested only in the early spring, once a year, using the spring buds as raw material. It takes approximately 75,000 buds to produce 500 grams of Jin Jun Mei, making the raw material rare and precious, akin to gold. The dry tea has a slender and tightly knitted appearance with a substantial weight, giving a sense of substance rather than emptiness.
Morphological Implication: The dry Jin Jun Mei tea has a slightly curved shape, resembling a seahorse (a traditional Chinese medicine), with a vibrant and lively leaf base, embodying the momentum of thousands of horses galloping. The character ‘Jun’ is used to describe its distinctive form.
Geographical Characteristics: Jin Jun Mei grows in the high mountains within the Wuyi Mountain National Nature Reserve, where it is shrouded in clouds and mist all day, offering a unique ecological environment. The tea mountains have a high and ‘noble’ stature.
Development Expectations: ‘Jun’ in the dictionary means rapid, expressing the tea makers’ hope that Jin Jun Mei will lead the black tea market and develop swiftly.
Brow: Jin Jun Mei is a result of the reform and innovation of the traditional Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong tea-making process. In terms of raw material picking standards, Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong uses 2-3 leaf openings, while Jin Jun Mei uses single buds, which absorb the essence of heaven and earth and are the quintessence of tea. Historically, buds have been used to make superior green teas, such as Gong Mei and Zhen Mei, hence the character ‘Mei’ is used to reflect the delicacy of its raw materials.
Morphological Description: The tea buds resemble eyebrows, being slender and extremely tender. To make Jin Jun Mei with buds, one must pick and place them gently, and knead them slowly with care and respect. The character ‘Mei’ vividly describes the shape of the tea leaves.
Longevity Implication: ‘Long eyebrows signify longevity, and the long-lived are enduring,’ the character ‘Mei’ in the tea name also implies longevity and a long life.
Sensory Quality Characteristics of Jin Jun Mei: Note: (① The product has no grades; ② The physical standard sample is replaced every 3 years)
(3) Min Hong Gong Fu: Classification: (1) Bai Lin Gong Fu: Quality characteristics: The shape is slender and curved, showing golden hairs, with a black and shiny color; the internal quality has a fresh and pure aroma with a, a light red and bright soup color, a fresh and sweet taste, and a red and yellow leaf base. (2) Tan Yang Gong Fu: Quality characteristics: The shape is slender and uniform, with hairs, and a dark and moist color; the internal quality has a slightly lower aroma, the tea soup is deep golden, the taste is mellow and sweet, and the leaf base is red and uniform.
(3) Zheng He Gong Fu: ① Large Tea: Made from the Da Bai tea variety. The shape is similar to Yunnan red tea, showing hairs, with a dark and moist color; the internal quality has a high and sweet aroma, a red and thick soup color, a strong taste, and a fat and red leaf base. ② Small Tea: Made from small-leaf varieties. The shape is tight and slender, with a fragrance similar to Keemun but not lasting, a mellow taste, a slightly lighter soup color, and a still red leaf base. According to GB/T24710-2009, Tan Yang Gong Fu (Tanyang Gongfu tea) is made under the specified natural ecological conditions, picked from Tan Yang Cai tea, and the tender buds and leaves of excellent tea tree varieties suitable for making black tea, using the traditional processing techniques of Gong Fu black tea, resulting in black tea with specific quality characteristics.Initial processing techniques: Fresh leaves → Withering → Rolling → Fermentation → Drying (shaping). Refined processing techniques: Sorting → Piling → Shaping → Blending → Even piling → Re-firing. Bai Lin Gong Fu tea is produced in the area of Bai Lin and Hu Lin, Fu Ding City, near Tai Mu Mountain. According to the ‘Fu Ning Fu Zhi’ compiled by Li Ba, who was the prefect of Fu Ning during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty (1759), it is recorded: ‘Tea, both in the county and the government, the best is from Bai Lin in Fu Ding’.
It can be seen that at least during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Bai Lin was known for its tea production and was noted by local officials and recorded in history. According to T/CSTEA 00037—2021, Zhenghe Gong Fu black tea refers to black tea made from fresh leaves of tea plant varieties suitable for making Zhenghe Gong Fu black tea, within the administrative region of Zhenghe County, Nanping City, Fujian Province, and processed through withering, rolling, fermentation, drying, and refining techniques. The product quality is divided into five grades: Super Grade (bud tea), Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, and Grade 4. Sensory quality characteristics of Zhenghe Gong Fu black tea: (Note: Each product grade has a physical standard sample, which is replaced every five years). Ning Hong Tea (Ninghong Tea): During the Daoguang years (1821-1850), Xiu Shui Ning Hong tea became notably famous. Wu Jue Nong said: ‘Ning Hong is the earliest branch in history, Ning Hong predates Keemun by ninety years, there was Xiu Shui Ning Hong tea first, then Keemun’. From the 18th to the 20th year of the Guangxu period (1892-1894), Ning Hong tea reached its peak in the international tea market, exporting 300,000 boxes annually (each box weighing 25 kg). In the 30th year of the Guangxu period (1904), Ning Hong’s export reached 300,000 dan. After liberation, Xiu Shui Ning Hong tea developed rapidly (note the difference from Chang Ning Hong and Jian Ning Hong). Definition: In the Xiu Shui County area, using Ning Zhou group species and other suitable tea plant varieties as raw materials, processed according to the requirements of this document, through withering, rolling, de-clumping, fermentation, drying, and other processes to make strip-shaped black tea, and through withering, rolling, de-clumping, fermentation, tying, initial drying, tying into a bouquet, and full drying processes to make ‘brush head’ shaped special black tea. (Excerpted from T/XSCX001-2023) (Xiu Shui Ning Hong tea includes Ning Hong Jin Hao, Ning Hong Gong Fu, and Ning Hong Long Xu tea). Yi Hong black tea (Yihong black tea) Origin: In the mid-19th century, tea merchants came to Yidu to set up tea farms, teaching the skills of making black tea. At the end of the 19th century, the British established a foreign trade firm in Yichang, purchasing a large amount of locally produced black tea, which was then transported from Hankou to Europe. Around 1886, the annual export volume of ‘Yi Hong tea’ reached about 150,000 dan.During the 1950s to 1960s, Yihong, Qihu, and Dianhong were considered the three major exported Gongfu black teas in China. In the 1950s, Yidou had become the most important production, processing, and distribution base for ‘Yihong tea’. After several challenges, the development of Yidou Yihong tea welcomed a new opportunity in 1951 when the former Soviet Union helped establish China’s first professional tea factory in Yidou, starting the acquisition, refining, processing, and sales of Yidou Yihong tea.
Definition: Hubei Yihong black tea, produced and processed in Hubei Province using buds, leaves, and tender stems of the tea plant [Camellia sinensis (Linnaeus.) O. Kuntze], includes three categories: Yihong Gongfu tea, Yihong red broken tea, and Yihong famous quality tea (excerpted from DB42/T916-2021). Sensory quality is shown in the figure below (six). Keemun Congou Black Tea definition: It is made from the fresh leaves of the Keemun oak leaf variety and other suitable tea plant varieties in the core production area and adjacent traditional production areas of Qimen County, Anhui Province, processed through initial (withering, rolling, fermentation, drying, etc.) and refining (sifting, cutting, wind selection, picking, supplementary firing, blending, and even stacking) processes to create a strip-shaped black tea with the ‘Qimen fragrance’ quality characteristics (excerpted from GH/T1178-2019). Origin: Legend has it that during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, in Qian County, Anhui, there was a family with the surname Yu, and a scholar named Yu Ganchun was sent to Anxi County, Fujian, to serve as a clerk. Before taking office, Yu Ganchen’s father told him: ‘This time you go out to take office, remember one thing, if there is a chance to learn a craft, don’t miss it, learn some skills to bring back, and you will use them for a lifetime. ‘ Yu Ganchun was out of office in less than three years due to his superior’s dismissal, and he also lost his job. At this time, he remembered his father’s words and decided to learn a craft. He thought of his hometown’s tea production, but the tea-making technology and process were different from Fujian’s, because green tea is not fermented, while black tea must be fully fermented. So he learned the technology of making ‘Gongfu black tea’ in Fujian and brought it back to his hometown. Yu Ganchun returned to his hometown and explained to his father the process of abandoning his official position to engage in business, and said that he had learned the technology of making ‘Gongfu black tea’. His father naturally agreed and helped him build a tea factory and make black tea. Because the neighboring tea-producing counties were centered around Qimen, it was named Keemun black tea. Keemun fragrance (KEEMUN sweet candy scent): It is a unique regional aroma type with floral, fruity, and honey-like fragrances.Product grades are categorized based on sensory quality requirements into: Gift Tea, Special Ming, Special Grade, Grade One, Grade Two, Grade Three, and Grade Four. (Anhui’s Keemun Black Tea, Indian Darjeeling Black Tea, and Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Black Tea are collectively known as the world’s three major fragrant black teas.) Dianhong Congou Black Tea was born in 1937 after the ‘July 7th’ incident, when Japan launched a full-scale invasion of China. The tea-producing regions in central China were affected and damaged by the war, making it impossible to continue production. In order to maintain the export market for black tea, earn foreign exchange, support the military’s needs during the war, and also to relocate tea technicians from the tea-producing areas in the Jiangnan region, the Nationalist Government prepared to build a new export base for black tea in the southwestern rear. In the autumn of 1938, the China Tea Company, which had moved from Wuhan to Chongqing, dispatched technical specialists Mr. Zheng Hechun and technician Mr. Feng Shaojiu to Yunnan to investigate tea resources and production conditions. By the end of 1938, under the leadership of Mr. Feng Shaojiu, the tea industry pioneers successfully created Dianhong Black Tea under the extremely difficult conditions of international turmoil and Fengqing. Once launched, Dianhong Black Tea quickly gained widespread recognition and praise in the international market. The birth of Dianhong is rooted in the search for resources during the Anti-Japanese War period to export black tea, increase foreign exchange, and support military needs. It not only pioneered the production of black tea from Yunnan’s large-leaf tea plants but also met the strategic needs of the nation. It can be seen that the birth of Dianhong Black Tea in Fengqing has a highly special innovative factor and significant historical contribution and significance. Definition: According to the T/CTSS38-2021 regulation, Dianhong Congou Black Tea is made from the fresh leaves of large-leaf tea plants harvested within the administrative region of Yunnan Province, processed through withering, rolling, fermentation, drying, and refining to create a strip-shaped black tea. Based on product quality characteristics, Dianhong Congou Black Tea is divided into six grades, from single bud to Grade Four. YingDe Black Tea has a very long history of tea production, dating back to the Tang Dynasty, and by the Ming Dynasty, the local soil tea of YingDe had become a tribute to the court. The birth of Ying Hong No. 9 can be traced back to the 1960s when experts isolated 22 asexual clones from Yunnan’s large-leaf tea gardens, from which Ying Hong No. 9 emerged and successfully launched YingDe Black Tea in 1959. In 1986, this variety was recognized as a provincial superior variety, marking the successful cultivation of Ying Hong No. 9 as a tea plant variety. Definition: According to GHT1243-2019, YingDe Black Tea is a strip-shaped black tea made from fresh leaves of Ying Hong No. 9, traditional large-leaf varieties (Phoenix Narcissus, Lian Nan Large Leaf, Luo Keng Large Leaf, Yunnan Large Leaf, and other local group varieties), and other asexual medium and small-leaf tea plant varieties bred in Guangdong Province, processed through specific techniques within the YingDe Black Tea region.
Tian Tian Lan Yun, akin to sugar cane juice with the aroma of orchid, is a characteristic of the sweet and orchid-like fragrance found in Yingde black tea. Depending on the tea plant variety, it is categorized into three types: Yingde Black Tea (Yinghong No.9), Yingde Black Tea (Traditional Large Leaf Variety), and Yingde Black Tea (Medium and Small Leaf Variety). These are collectively known as the four major black teas in China, alongside Keemun from Anhui, Zhengshan Xiaozhong from Fujian, and Dian Hong from Yunnan.
Hainan Black Tea, as recorded in the ‘Hainan Province Chronicles: Agricultural Reclamation Chronicles’, began its major tea production in the late 1950s, focusing on black tea. Hainan Agricultural Reclamation was a key force in development, with the first generation of agricultural reclaimers venturing into the heart of Hainan’s Wuzhishan, clearing land for tea cultivation alongside rubber industry development. In 1984, the Hainan large-leaf variety tea was recognized as a national fine tea plant variety, numbered ‘Huacha 16’. In 1985, the Hainan large-leaf variety achieved glory again by creating Hainan red broken tea, a blend with Yunnan large-leaf variety tea, which won the gold award in the World Black Tea Competition held in the UK. Definition: According to T/CTSS80-2023, Wuzhishan Black Tea is made from the fresh leaves of the Hainan large-leaf variety (Camellia sinensis var. assamica ‘Hainan Dayezhong’) group, grown at an altitude of over 300 meters within the jurisdiction of Wuzhishan City. It is processed through withering, rolling, fermentation, and aroma enhancement to have the quality characteristics of ‘amber soup, milky honey fragrance’. Jiuqu Hongmei Tea, originating from the Jiuqu of Wuyi Mountain, was developed by farmers from the northern part of Fujian and southern part of Zhejiang who migrated north and settled in the Dayu Mountain area, clearing land for crops and tea to make a living. They diligently studied tea-making techniques and used fresh leaves from West Lake Longjing tea to develop a red tea with a clear red color and fragrance like a red plum, hence the name Jiuqu Hongmei. In short, Jiuqu Hongmei uses Longjing raw materials and a process similar to Zhengshan Xiaozhong, also known as Longjing Red. The tea leaves are as fine as a fishhook, with a dark and moist color, clear and bright agate-colored tea soup, fresh and mellow taste, elegant plum blossom fragrance, and possess the unique charm of Jiangnan black tea. Master Hong Yi once described the charm of Jiuqu Hongmei with ‘agate color in a white jade cup, plum blossom fragrance at the bottom of red lips’. Definition: Jiuqu Hongmei Tea is made from the buds and leaves of tea plant varieties suitable for making Jiuqu Hongmei, grown in the jurisdiction of Xihu District, Hangzhou City, using traditional withering, rolling, fermentation, and drying processes to create a curled-shaped black tea.Product grades are categorized based on sensory quality into: Special Grade, First Grade, Second Grade, and Third Grade. (From GH/T1116-2015) Red broken tea quality characteristics: During the initial processing of red broken tea, the leaves undergo thorough rolling and cutting, resulting in a high cell rupture rate, which is conducive to the enzymatic oxidation of polyphenols and infusion, forming a tea with a sharp and lasting aroma, strong and fresh taste, and a strong tea flavor even after adding milk and sugar. Different leaf types of red broken tea quality: ① Leaf tea: The appearance is tightly twisted and straight, with a uniform and moist color; the internal quality has a fragrant aroma, bright red soup color, mellow taste, and the leaf base is bright red with many tender stems. ② Broken tea: The appearance is granular, heavy, and uniform, with a moist or brownish color; the internal quality has a rich aroma, bright red soup color, strong and fresh taste, and the leaf base is red and uniform. ③ Flake tea: The appearance is entirely in the form of wood ear-shaped flakes or wrinkled corner flakes, with a dark brown color; the internal quality has a relatively pure aroma, bright red soup color, and the taste is still strong with a slight astringency, with a red and uniform leaf base. ④ Dust tea: The appearance is entirely in the form of sand-like dust, with a dark black or gray-brown color; the internal quality has a deep dark soup color, low aroma, and rough and astringent taste, with a dark red leaf base. – Leaf tea should not contain broken tea pieces, broken tea should not contain flake and dust tea, and dust tea should not contain tea ash. The specifications are clear and the requirements are strict. Well-known red teas from abroad: ① Assam black tea (India) ② Darjeeling black tea (India) ③ Nilgiri black tea (India) ④ Kenyan black tea (Kenya) ⑤ Ceylon Uva tea (Sri Lanka) Epilogue: The main producing areas and quality characteristics of red tea at home and abroad have been introduced. Now, do you understand why Dahongpao and Pu-erh (ripe tea) are not considered black teas? Welcome to discuss in the comments section!
