Qimen County

Qimen black tea, abbreviated as "Qihong," is one of China's top ten traditional teas and one of the world's three most fragrant black teas. It is named after Qimen County in Anhui Province. Qimen black tea was successfully created in the first year of the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty (1875). Upon its introduction, it gained a reputation both domestically and internationally for its unique quality. Traditionally, Qimen black tea was made by hand, with quality largely depending on manual skill, hence why it is also known as "Qimen Gongfu." The tea-making skills for Qimen black tea are divided into preliminary processing and finishing. Preliminary processing includes withering, rolling, fermentation, and drying; while finishing includes sieving, cutting, winnowing, sorting, blending, re-drying, and leveling. Withering Rolling Fermentation Drying The characteristics of Qimen black tea include a fine and slender appearance, good tip formation, and a lustrous dark color; a bright red liquor; a rich fragrance with floral and fruity notes; a smooth and sweet taste; and a uniform, tender, and soft leaf base. Qimen black tea particularly emphasizes tenderness and the tightness of the tea leaves. Defective qualities include hollow and loose texture, dull gray color, pale liquor, rough aroma,…

Basic Introduction to Ancha of QimenAncha is a compressed tea that undergoes post-fermentation, falling somewhere between black and green teas. It is a historically renowned tea belonging to the category of dark teas. Its creation dates back to the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, produced primarily in the southwestern regions of Luxi and Rongkou in Qimen County; production ceased during World War II but was revived in the 1980s. The finished product has a dark color, a rich and slightly red infusion, and an aroma with a hint of astringency. It is sold domestically in Guangdong and Hong Kong, and exported to Southeast Asian countries, earning it the title of "Holy Tea."The county of Qimen is located in a mountainous, rainy region of southern Anhui, characterized by a subtropical monsoon climate of the northern subtropics. Its main features include a mild climate, limited sunshine, abundant rainfall, and distinct seasons. Low mountains cover 700,200 acres, or 21.3% of the total land area. These low mountains are mainly distributed on the outskirts of mid-mountain areas, spanning all towns across the county. The slopes are relatively gentle, typically ranging from 20° to 35°. There are secondary forests and plantations scattered throughout, and…

Black tea is the second largest category of teas in China and the most widely sold type of tea worldwide. The origin of black tea can be traced back to China, where it was first produced over 400 years ago during the Ming Dynasty by tea farmers in Wuyi Mountain, Fujian Province, as Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong. In terms of processing techniques, due to differences in rolling methods and fresh leaf varieties, black tea can be classified into: Gongfu Black Tea, Xiao Zhong Black Tea, and Broken Black Tea. Xiao Zhong Black Tea is the oldest type of black tea, originally produced in Wuyi Mountain, and is also the progenitor of other black teas; Gongfu Black Tea comes in many varieties, produced in different regions, such as Qimen Gongfu Black Tea mainly produced in Qimen County, Anhui Province, and Dian Hong Gongfu from Yunnan Province; Broken Black Tea is produced across a wide range of areas and is primarily for export. Although there are different classifications of black tea, the basic process generally includes "withering, rolling, fermentation, and drying." As a fully fermented tea, the core and soul of black tea is its "fermentation," which is a critical step in…