Six Major Types of Chinese tea (Part two)：Black tea

Tea, a globally adored beverage, exists in a vast group of chasers. Continue with Green Tea chapter, below we will embark on a journey to demystify another captivating Chinese tea category, Black Tea.

Chinese black tea undergoes complete fermentation, which is said the origin of World’s black tea. Black tea needs multiple processing steps mainly including withering, rolling, fermentation and drying, After the withering and rolling phase, the cell walls of the tea leaves rupture, liberating the plant's inherent enzymes. During the fermentation process, those enzymes will then enable the polyphenols oxidization, to form theaflavins and thearubigins, resulting in black tea’s typical color and taste. A cup of standard black tea soup would exhibit rich red hue. The drying process would be strictly manipulated as well. The high temperature would stop the activity of enzymes and fix the features and quality of the tea. Meanwhile, less moisture content would facilitate the storage of the dry tea.

Representative Black Teas

Keemun Black Tea - Celebrated for its robust flavor as well as rich and long history of exporting overseas. Keemun Black Tea is produced in Qimen county, Anhui province. It typically possesses a combination of floral, fruity and honey aroma along with bright orange-red tea soup. The aroma highly recognized as the “Keemum Fragrance”. The tea is named “The Queen of Black Tea” among Chinese tea fans.

Lapsang Souchong - It is a type of black tea, which is originated and produced in the area of Wuyi Mountains within North part of Fujian province. Lapsang Souchong is the tea that has a legend of world’s black tea origination. The tea boasts a characteristic pine-smoky fragrance and a taste of Longan. The tea variety and making craft are under stringent regulation to remain its original taste and origin control.

Jin Jun Mei: Stemmed from the Lapsang Souchong, Jin Jun Mei is a innovative black tea product which first emerged in the market in 2005. Compared to other famous black teas, it features with its tea bud selection, and also highlights the delicate craftsmanship. It is named from slim eyebrow-shaped dry tea leaves, as the Chinese word “Mei” means eyebrow in English.

Dianhong: name fully known as Yunnan Black Tea, is a famous black tea produced in Yunnan Province. Its history can be traced back to the 1930s, in response to the international market's demand for black tea. Some Chinese tea experts led by Mr.Fengshaoqiu, a great ancestor of China Tea Co., Ltd., successfully developed this type of big-leaf tea variety in Fengqing County, Yunnan. Dianhong is renowned for its unique aroma, rich taste, and golden soup color. It has a strong floral and fruity fragrance, together with honey and sweet notes.