Black Tea: Rich Tea Fragrance Precipitated by Time

• Overview of Black Tea

Black tea is a fully fermented tea with unique charm among the six major tea categories. It is famous for its unique "red soup and red leaves" characteristics. After the fermentation process, the tea polyphenols in the fresh leaves are oxidized into theaflavins, thearubigins, etc., which give the tea soup a mellow taste and bright color. It is a classic tea that is popular all over the world.

• Historical Origin

The origin of black tea can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty. The earliest black tea appeared in Wuyi Mountain, Fujian. It was a wonderful discovery made by tea farmers by chance. In the 17th century, Zhengshan Xiaozhong crossed the ocean and opened the history of Chinese black tea exports. It set off a tea drinking craze in European countries such as Britain, became a symbol of aristocratic social interaction, gradually laid the foundation for the world's black tea trade, and witnessed the exchange of tea culture between China and foreign countries.

• Origin distribution

China is the core production area of ​​black tea:

• Fujian (Zhenshan Xiaozhong, Jinjunmei),
• Yunnan (Dianhong),
• Anhui (Qimen black tea),
• Guangdong (Yingde black tea).

Other countries such as Darjeeling, Assam in India, and Uva in Sri Lanka also produce black teas with different flavors due to their unique climate and soil, and occupy an important position in the international market.

• Picking and processing process

1. Picking: According to the variety and demand of tea, pick fresh leaves such as one bud, two or three leaves. Tender black tea emphasizes freshness, and some buds and leaves need to be picked accurately.
2. Withering: Spread the fresh leaves to lose water, so that the tea leaves lose water and soften moderately, prepare for fermentation, and affect the subsequent aroma and taste formation.
3. Fermentation: The key step! When the tea leaves are under suitable temperature and humidity, polyphenols are oxidized, the leaf color turns red, and the tea fragrance and tea taste change, which determines the unique flavor of black tea.
4. Drying: remove excess water, stop fermentation, fix the quality of tea, make the black tea aroma more mellow, and facilitate storage and transportation.

• Classification characteristics

• Small black tea: such as Zhengshan Xiaozhong, traditional smoking process, with pine fragrance, orange-red tea soup, mellow taste, is the ancestor of black tea.
• Gongfu black tea: Keemun black tea, Dianhong, etc. belong to this category, with fine workmanship, focusing on the flavor and aroma of tea soup, Keemun has "Qimen fragrance", Dianhong is rich and mellow with floral and fruity fragrance.
• Broken black tea: made by chopping, fermentation, and drying, the tea shape is fine, the soup is fast, the taste is strong, suitable for mixing, and is the mainstream black tea category in the international market.

• Nutritional value and efficacy

Black tea contains theaflavins, thearubigins, caffeine, etc., which can help digestion, promote appetite, and warm the stomach;

• Caffeine can refresh and relieve fatigue;
• Antioxidants can help delay aging. Regular drinking has many benefits for the body, making it a good choice for daily health and social drinking.

"Taste the various forms of black tea and enjoy the beauty of fermentation."

From the inheritance of ancient tea-making techniques to the elegance of global fragrance, black tea has written a unique chapter in the world of tea fragrance with its mellow flavor and diverse style. We invite you to taste the fragrance of time and feel the charm of tea culture shared by the East and the West.