Varieties and Quality of Yunnan Black Tea

Posted by Gordon L on 2022-04-28 22:23

Varieties and Quality of Yunnan Black Tea

Dianhong is made from the fresh leaves of Yunnan large-leaf species with single bud, one bud and one leaf, one bud and two or three leaves as raw materials. . It is the representative of Chinese black tea, which is exported to Russia, Poland, Germany and other Eastern European countries. In recent years, it has expanded to more than 30 countries and regions in Western Europe, Northern Europe and North America. 

Dianhong is a very competitive tea product both in appearance and inner quality. Dianhong tea is made from fresh leaves of Yunnan large-leaf tea trees with suitable tenderness. The fresh leaves of large-leaf tea trees are richer in polyphenols than other tea trees. After processing, more theaflavins and thearubigins can be produced. In addition, the content of caffeine and water extracts is high, so it is made into traditional black tea with high aroma and strong flavor, and the soup is red in color and high in quality. However, due to the inconvenient traffic in Yunnan and the lack of good market promotion, Yunnan black tea has never been as well recognized as Anhui Qimen black tea and Fujian Lapsang Souchong. 

With the boom of Jinjunmei in Fujian in 2005, there was a big black tea trend all over China, and tea bases all over the country began to produce and promote black tea in large quantities. However, I personally think that due to the characteristics of certain varieties, the phenol-ammonia ratio of fresh tea leaves in many production areas is very small, which is actually more suitable for making green tea. If it is used to make black tea, the aroma and taste of the finished product are not competitive. Dianhong has been building a factory to make black tea since 1938. Whether it is the tea itself or its long history, it is very advantageous. The rise of Dianhong is inevitable. 

The first thing to make black tea is to understand the varieties of tea trees in a place, understand all its characteristics, and choose the varieties of tea trees according to the characteristics of the black tea you want to make, and then make it with less effort. 

Second, constantly adjust your own craftsmanship according to the quality you need, making black tea will have countless permutations and combinations, there will be a lot of joy, make the desired tea, determine the best craft plan, and then mass-produce it and put it on the market. 

Third, the distinctive features of Dianhong Gongfu are: the buds and leaves are plump, the golden hair is prominent, the soup color is either red and bright (heavy fermentation), or orange-yellow (moderate fermentation), and the aroma is fragrant. The main production areas of Dianhong are Lincang, Baoshan, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna, Dehong, and Honghe along the Lancang River. The "Fengqing" series is the most famous. The amount of black tea produced by Pu-erh is also quite large. 

The main varieties of tea trees used to make black tea from the "Fengqing" series include: 

Mengku large leaf species 

The seedling family, a national-level fine variety, is an arbor-type plant with an obvious trunk, and its black tea has a high aroma and a strong and fresh taste. 

Fengqing large leaf species 

The plant is arbor-shaped and has an obvious trunk. The black tea made has a sharp and lasting aroma, and the taste is strong and fresh. 

Fengqing No. 7 

Clone, with many hairs, heavy buds, good retention and tenderness, it is made into black tea with a melodious and sweet aroma, and a mellow and sweet taste. 

Fengqing No. 9 

Clone, with many hairs, heavy buds, good retention and tenderness, it is made into black tea with a melodious and sweet aroma, and a mellow and sweet taste. 

In addition, Yunnan Province also introduced the following varieties from other provinces: Meizhan, Hairy Crab, Tieguanyin, Huangyu (Golden Gui), Fujian Narcissus, Benshan, Huangguanyin, Mingke No. 1, and Huangqi. The China Red produced by Dianhong Group a few years ago is a black tea made from imported small-leaf species, and the market has responded quite well. 

The main varieties of tea trees used to make black tea from Pu-erh are: 

Yunkang No. 10 

The black tea has a high and long-lasting fragrance, with a floral fragrance and a fresh taste. 

Yunkang No. 14 

The buds are yellow-green in color, with many hairs, strong tenderness and fast growth. 

Xueya No. 100 

The buds are plump and thick, and the black tea is made into a black tea with a strong fragrance, a mellow and sweet taste, and a floral fragrance in the soup. 

Yunmei

Provincial-level local varieties, made into black tea with high fragrance and strong taste. 

Aifeng 

The black tea has a high and lasting fragrance and a fresh taste. 

Zijuan 

Small arbor, made into black tea, the shape of black tea is black and purple, and the original spicy taste of black tea is transformed, and the soup is slightly spicy. 

Menghai large leaf species 

Its black tea has a sharp and long-lasting aroma, and the taste is strong and fresh. 

How did these qualities of Dianhong come to be? The so-called tea quality generally refers to the "color, aroma, taste, shape" and the bottom of the tea leaves. This is the process of identifying the quality of tea from the outside to the inside, from the phenomenon to the essence. The quality of tea is mainly formed by the components in the fresh leaves of the tea tree and some new substances produced by the chemical changes of some substances in the fresh leaves during the processing, including moisture, tea polyphenols, amino acids, proteins, caffeine, aromatic substances, pigments, etc. . Due to different processing methods, various components in tea have different quality characteristics formed by different procedures and combinations. 

1. The formation of the shape Our common black tea in the market has needle shape, bar shape, natural curved shape, curled spiral shape, crushed shape, etc. No matter what shape black tea is, it is the result of different technical measures adopted by processing personnel. Generally speaking, the shape of tea leaves is based on rolling, cutting and shaping. 

2, the formation of color Dianhong tea is "red soup and red leaves". During the processing, chlorophyll must be destroyed, and the polyphenols must be fully oxidized to form colored substances such as theaflavins and thearubigins. 

3, the formation of aroma Some of the aroma substances in black tea are contained in fresh leaves, but most of them are chemically changed by other substances during processing. 

4. The formation of taste Dianhong Gongfu black tea requires sweetness, richness, strength and freshness. Theaflavins, thearubigins and theabrownins are produced during processing, and these three substances are the main components of tea soup. Theaflavin is an important component of tea soup with strong irritation and freshness, and has good antioxidant effect. Thearubigin is the main part of the concentrated alcohol and is less irritating. Theabrownin is a factor that affects the concentration of tea. The theaflavins and thearubigins contained in black tea determine the quality. The higher the content of the two, the better the quality. 

To make a good cup of black tea, R&D personnel not only need to understand the characteristics of tea trees in this tea area, but also need to carefully understand the characteristics of tea tree varieties in other tea areas and the tea making process, so as to make tea with excellent color and aroma.