Black Tea

Drinking tea benefits health, especially when consumed consistently over time. However, it should be based on the principle of "drinking tea reasonably." To truly enjoy good tea, there are certain rules to follow, which vary depending on the person, the time, and the occasion. 1. Choose Your Tea Based on Personal Constitution The value of tea lies in its suitability for you. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, human constitutions can be categorized as hot or cold. Therefore, choosing the right tea according to one's constitution is essential. Generally, individuals with a normal constitution can drink most types of tea without concern, but for specific groups, selecting the right type of tea can make a difference. Those who smoke or drink alcohol regularly, tend to get overheated easily, have a fiery disposition, or are overweight usually have a heaty constitution and should opt for green tea, new white tea, or lightly fermented oolong tea; Seniors, those with a cold and weak digestive system, or people with a generally weak constitution typically have a cold constitution and are particularly suited to drinking black tea and ripe Pu'er. 2. Adjust Your Tea Based on the Time of Year Generally, the types of tea consumed…...

The He Kai ancient tea mountain is located in the Menghai County, Menghun Town, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, with an overall altitude ranging from 1,400 to 1,700 meters. The most distinctive feature of He Kai is that “the tea grows among the trees, and the villages are nestled within the tea gardens.” It is the largest contiguous area of ancient tea gardens in Xishuangbanna Prefecture, covering over 16,000 mu (approximately 1,067 hectares) with more than 2.3 million individual ancient tea trees. There are many villages under the jurisdiction of the He Kai Village Committee, including Manmai, Manlongxin and Manlong old village, Mantuan, Guanggang, and others. Among these, Manmai is at the highest elevation in the He Kai ancient tea garden and is considered to have the best quality and be the most representative village. The He Kai ancient tree tea is characterized by its sweet, rich, and full-bodied flavor upon entry into the mouth, strong tea essence, and powerful wild mountain notes. Overall, the taste of He Kai ancient tree tea is more balanced—it is not as bitter as Laoman'e nor as dominant as Lao Banzhang, making it highly acceptable and cost-effective. He Kai literally means “the place where the sun is…...

One of the key factors in storing white tea is avoiding exposure to light, which means keeping the tea boxes out of direct sunlight. However, with seasonal changes and fluctuations in weather, a momentary oversight can allow sunlight to penetrate and potentially spoil the stored white tea. To properly store a box of tea, several steps need to be followed. 01 How to Keep White Tea Away from Light and Heat at Home? To store white tea well, it must be kept away from light and heat. After being sealed layer by layer with aluminum bags, plastic bags, and cardboard boxes, the tea needs to be stored in a dry, cool, and dark environment for better aging. The thermal energy in light can damage the nutrients and flavor of the tea, compromising its original color, aroma, and taste. Additionally, the storage environment should remain cool and dry. Considering the need for dark storage, containers that let light through, such as glass jars and PVC cans, are not suitable for holding tea. To ensure that the white tea within the box is not disturbed or damaged by light, it is generally not recommended to store the tea on the top floor,…...

Amidst sea of clouds on the tea mountains, the Maojian sprouts verdantly. In Douyun, located along the 30th parallel north – a “Golden Belt” for green tea production favored by nature – the region continues to write its millennia-old story of tea fragrance and charm, with clouds as its attire and Maojian as its soul. August in the Douyun tea gardens of Guizhou Province. On August 4th, the 2024 Seventh China Tea Import and Export Trade Annual Conference and Douyun Maojian Tea People’s Meeting officially opened in Douyun City, Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province. Hosted by the Tea Industry Branch of the China Agricultural International Cooperation Promotion Association and the Guizhou Provincial Tea Association, and organized by Guizhou Douyun Maojian Tea Industry (Group) Co., Ltd., the conference theme was "Shared Success, Creating New Opportunities for Global Tea Trade; Douyun Maojian Scenting the World, Gathering Tea and People for the Benefit of All." The aim was to enhance the international competitiveness of Douyun Maojian, promote high-quality, leapfrog development of the Douyun Maojian, Guizhou tea industry, and even the Chinese tea industry. The opening ceremony scene. Over 300 guests, including representatives from the media and various sectors, gathered at…...

Basic Introduction to Tailaoshan Green Snow Bud TeaTailaoshan “Green Snow Bud,” is a renowned tea both at home and abroad.Green Snow Bud, commonly known as "White Tea Core," is slender and soft, covered with fine hairs and silver-white in color. It's also called "Silver Needle" or "White Down." Its inferior grade is called "Flag and Spear:" because the leaves resemble flags and the tips of the buds resemble spears. This type of tea is made from one bud and one leaf.Green Snow Bud is a superior tea tree. Not only can it be consumed and used medicinally, but legend has it that in the past, people carved teacups from the root of the old tea plant in Hongxue Cave. Without using tea leaves, simply pouring hot water would impart the taste of Green Snow Bud tea. Travelers would use it as a small bowl, and if they encountered a malicious inn or someone who secretly poisoned their food, the bowl would magically show black stains.One of China's oldest historical teas, it was already famous during the Ming Dynasty and considered a rare treasure among teas. In the Qing Dynasty, Zhou Lianggong recorded in his "Fujian Miscellany" that "Tailaoshan had ancient…...

Dian Hong is a type of black tea produced in Yunnan Province, commonly abbreviated as “Dian Hong” and classified within the black tea category. It is cultivated in areas such as Lincang, Baoshan, Fengqing, Xishuangbanna, and Dehong in southern and southwestern Yunnan. Dian Hong is blended from large-leaf red broken tea. The standardized products include leaf tea, broken tea, fannings, and dust in four categories with eleven different grades. Each has its own specific shape and appearance, characterized by a solid texture and harmonious color. When brewed, the tea yields a bright red infusion with a prominent golden ring, a fresh and fragrant aroma, and a strong, stimulating taste. The leaves at the bottom of the cup are uniformly red and bright. Even when milk is added, the tea retains a robust flavor, presenting a brown, pink, or ginger-yellow hue that is bright and vivid. Its defining characteristics are its strength, intensity, and freshness. The production of Dian Hong involves using fresh leaves from high-quality large-leaf tea trees in Yunnan, processed through withering, rolling or cutting, fermentation, and baking to create the finished tea product. Brewing Methods for Dian Hong Tea Warm the teaware: Add an appropriate amount of cold…...

Pre-Ming Tea is a term used in the Jiangnan tea region along the Yangtze River in China, referring to different stages of spring tea according to the seasonal division. The main categories are green tea and a small amount of black tea, while teas like Dahongpao and Pu'er do not have a "Pre-Ming Tea" classification. The history of Pre-Ming Tea dates back to the Wei and Jin dynasties, and its historical development and rising status are related to factors such as sacrifice rituals, Buddhism, politics, economy, and culture. Pre-Ming Tea has both external and internal advantages, such as being free from pollution and having rich contents. In terms of brewing, it's not always true that the fresher the spring tea, the better it is. Newly harvested Pre-Ming Tea should not be consumed immediately after roasting. Freshly made tea often carries a "fiery" taste, and if brewed right away, it can leave your throat feeling dry, and the flavor will not be fresh and delicious. Therefore, it's better to wait one to two weeks before drinking it for improved taste. What are the differences between Pre-Ming Tea and Pre-Rain Tea? Picking Time: "Pre-Ming Tea" refers to tea leaves picked before the…...

The shelf life of Pu'er tea is typically 10 to 20 years. Pu'er tea is made from unique large-leaf varieties, and depending on the production process, it is divided into raw (sheng) and ripe (shou) categories. Its leaves are thick and substantial, rich in content, and capable of aging, so there is no fixed expiration date. Generally, it is believed that it can be stored for 15 to 20 years. According to GBT22111-2008 Pu'er Tea standards, under proper storage conditions, it can be kept for a long time. The Shelf Life of Pu'er Tea In daily life, when purchasing food items, we always check the expiration dates, and this applies to tea as well. However, with the variety of tea types, different processing methods, and varying characteristics, each type of tea will have a different shelf life. Observant tea enthusiasts have noticed: green tea, when stored at low temperatures, has a shelf life of about one year; black tea generally lasts for 2 to 3 years; when checking the expiration date of Pu'er tea, it usually says "can be stored for a long time under proper conditions." This leads many enthusiasts to wonder, "Does Pu'er tea expire?" Currently, the most…...

When brewing tea, controlling the water temperature can affect the taste and aroma of the tea. Different types of tea are best brewed at different temperatures, specifically as follows: Green tea: being delicate, it is not suitable to be steeped in boiling water; a water temperature of 80°C-85°C is recommended. Oolong tea: also known as green tea (a term that can be confusing as it is different from the non-fermented green tea), it is a semi-fermented tea with varieties such as Southern Fujian Oolong, Northern Fujian Oolong, Guangdong Oolong, and Taiwanese Oolong. There are three key elements to brewing oolong tea: the water used, the teaware, and the brewing technique. It's important to follow the principle of "using spring water from stone sources, charcoal stoves, and small teaware." Yixing clay pots or covered bowls are ideal choices for brewing, and the water should be boiled at over 95°C. Huang tea (Yellow tea): being a lightly fermented tea, varieties like Mengding Yellow Bud, Junshan Silver Needle, and Weishan Maojian belong to this category. The tea leaves are delicate, and too high a temperature can scald them, so a brewing temperature between 85°C-90°C is preferable. Black tea: the water temperature should be…...

In China's culinary culture, the phrase "eat seasonally" holds great significance. These four words succinctly capture the close relationship between food and seasons. For tea culture, there are also many considerations when drinking in accordance with the time of year. According to traditional Chinese medicine: "In the midst of winter, when all life is dormant, the physiological activities of the human body are in a state of inhibition, the key to health preservation lies in keeping warm." Therefore, winter tea drinking emphasizes the concept of "warmth." Not only should the tea focus on warmth and nourishment, but the tea-drinking ritual itself should also strive to create a warm atmosphere. Snow Melting and Tea Boiling: The Poetic Warm Winter of the Ancients "The tea kettle startles at its boiling in the midnight hours, just as the snow on the bamboo outside the frosty window shines brightly." This line captures the elegant scene of the Tang Dynasty poet Sikong Tu boiling tea during winter. However, tea boiling did not begin in the Tang Dynasty; it started during the Western Han Dynasty. During the Han, Wei, and Six Dynasties periods, tea was "cooked together," resulting in a thick soup that was then consumed.…...

When brewing tea, do you ever wonder how many infusions are best? This question is not only about the taste of the tea but also impacts its nutritional content and health benefits. This article will delve into the brewing methods for different types of tea, helping you get every cup just right. The Number of Infusions Depends Closely on the Type of Tea One important point to note is that different types of tea vary significantly in their durability when infused. Green tea, black tea, oolong tea, Pu'er tea, and white tea all have different levels of durability. Understanding these differences can help you make the best choices when brewing your tea. (Image source: network, delete upon request) Green Tea: Delicate and Fragrant, Typically Three Infusions First infusion: Aromatic and at its best flavor. Second infusion: Slightly lighter in taste but still fragrant. Third infusion: The tea's flavor noticeably diminishes but retains some fragrance. After three infusions, the tea's flavor and nutrients are largely depleted, making it unsuitable for further brewing. (Image source: network, delete upon request) Black Tea: Rich and Sweet, Four Infusions Are Ideal First infusion: Bright red color with a rich aroma. Second infusion: Sweet taste and…...

Those who love tea often keep a good stock at home, and many people store their teas in the refrigerator, or even buy a small fridge specifically for this purpose. In fact, this is a misconception. Whether tea should be stored in the fridge depends on the type of tea. Teas Suitable for Refrigeration:The types that benefit from refrigeration include green teas, lightly fragrant oolongs, and humidity-dried teas. Of the six major categories, green teas are the most prone to spoilage and require special attention when storing. You can place the tea in a sealed tin and then put it in a sealed bag before placing it in the fridge.Additionally, lightly fragrant Tieguanyin oolong and humidity-dried oolongs can also be stored in the fridge.Green teas, lightly fragrant oolongs, and humidity-dried teas are suitable for refrigeration. Teas Not Suitable for Refrigeration:Black teas, Pu'er teas, traditionally processed Tieguanyin, aged Tieguanyin, and white teas should not be refrigerated due to the importance of aging and transformation. Storing these teas in the fridge could lead to dampness issues and reduce the activity of biological enzymes within the leaves, affecting their transformation process. Jasmine-scented teas may lose their fragrance if stored in the fridge. However,…...