Tea quality is relative, different people have different preferences; some prefer strong flavors while others like it fresh and light. For Qimen Black Tea, in terms of taste alone, the liquor is a tender, clear red with a fresh, soft mouthfeel and a hint of subtle sweetness.
Some describe it as having a unique Qimen aroma. Good black tea has golden tips on its shape, whether it's in the form of Golden Needle or Fragrant Snail, the leaf shape is fine.
Three grams of Qimen black tea steeped in 150 milliliters of water at 90 degrees Celsius for about five seconds produces a tea liquor from which an intense, penetrating fragrance greets you. To the tea enthusiast, aroma and flavor are the basic standards for judging authentic Qimen Black Tea.
The high and persistent Qimen aroma remains stable in quality even after the test of time. The formation of this unique aroma is inseparable from the natural charm of its gifted growing region. Whether the Qimen aroma is authentic or not directly relates to the tea's growth area, which is a crucial factor in determining its aroma. The definition of the authentic Qimen origin is still a subject of much debate within the industry.
To tell if it is authentic Qimen, one only needs to take a sip to discern. The authentic Qimen aroma is a unique flavor found only in Qimen. Before tasting, the aroma alone is notably sweet and fragrant, carrying notes of orchid, lemon, and Rose. Once in the mouth, there is a honey-like sweetness, with a lingering and delightful aftertaste.
The reason why Qimen Gongfu Black Tea is considered the representative of Chinese Gongfu Black Tea is that it is the most labor-intensive among all black teas. Traditional handcrafted refinement processes include initial sifting, sorting, bagging, coarse sifting, coarse ruffling, fine sifting, fine ruffling, foot rubbing, air selection, floating sifting, shaking sifting, manual picking, blending, supplementary firing, uniform stacking, and packing. The entire production process is extremely complex and meticulous.
There are many varieties of Qimen Black Tea available now, but traditionally, Qimen Black Tea should be Gongfu Black Tea, which is a type of cut tea, so many Chinese find it less palatable. As a result, innovations such as Qimen Fragrant Snail, Qimen Golden Tips, Golden Needle, and Qimen Eyebrow were created.
One: Gongfu Black Tea is categorized into third grade, second grade, first grade, special grade, and gift tea, etc. People in southern China tend to favor Gongfu Black Tea more. A significant amount of Gongfu Black Tea is also exported.
Two, Qimen Fragrant Snail is named for its snail-like shape. Its color varies depending on the time of harvest; earlier harvests yield more buds and more golden color, while later harvests result in darker snails with fewer buds.
Three, the general term for Qimen Black Tea's aroma is Qimen Aroma, which encompasses various fruity scents, with better-quality teas having a stronger orchid scent.
In addition to these characteristics, black tea also has prominent benefits in preventing heart disease and lowering Blood pressure due to its rich content of tea pigments (such as theaflavins and thearubigins), which have potent anti-lipid and inhibitory effects on platelet adhesion and aggregation. Furthermore, Japanese researchers have proven that black tea diluted to less than five times its usual drinking concentration can still render 99.999% of Influenza viruses inactive, because theaflavins in black tea have bactericidal properties.