10 Famous Chinese Black Tea (Red Tea in China)

Black tea, also called red tea in China, gets the name from the red color of its tea water and leaves after being brewed. This is a full-fermented tea which includes many brands. Let’s have a look at 10 famous styles of Chinese black tea:
 

Chinese name: 祁门红茶（qi men hong cha）
Planting region: Qimen County, Huangshan City, Anhui province, central China

Keemun Black Tea contains ample microelements and organic matters. By drinking it you can get more calcium, more fluent cardiac circulation and look younger. The leaf of this kind of Chinese black tea is tight and thin and covered by lots of fine hairs. The brewed tea is dark red and smooth with long-lasting fragrance which is similar to orchids.
 

Chinese name: 正山小种（zheng shan xiao zhong）
Planting region: Tongmu Region, Wuyishan City, Fujian Province, southeast China

Lapsang souchong looks grayish black and has a very strong aroma because it is smoked over pine needles or pine wood, but the tea water is dark amber. Taking this Chinese black tea type with sugar and milk regularly can cure inflammation and reduce ulcers. Two famous types are Jinjunmei and Yinjunmwei.
 

Chinese name: 滇红 (dian hong)
Planting regions: Qingfeng, Lingcang and Shuangjiang Counties, Yunnan Province, southwest China.

Yunnan black tea is made with fresh and large leaves using several technical processes: withering, kneading, fermenting and baking. This Chinese black tea can be helpful in detoxifying due to the abundant tea polyphenols alkali in it. It still has a heavy flavor even if you add milk to it.
 

Chinese name: 川红 (chuan hong)
Planting regions: Yibin City, Sichuan Province, southwest China

Sichuan black tea falls into the category of Kung Fu black tea. With a tight, slim, smooth and straight shape, great fine hairs, a dark and moist color, faint scent and a light orange flavor, it enjoys a high reputation in the international market.
 

Chinese name: 宁红 (ning hong)
Planting region: Xiushui County, Jiujiang City, central south China

The tea leaf should come from vigorous tea plants, and only the strong and tender bud heads with 1-2 leaves can be used to make Ning Hong. The premium Ning black tea features slim and fine strips, fine golden hairs, sharp ends, a dark and bright color and a fresh and mellow flavor.
 

Chinese name: 闽红 (min hong)
Planting regions: Zhenghe, Fuding and Fu’an Counties, Fujian Province, southeast China

The tea is big but tight with a dark and bright color. After brewing, the tea leaves are also red and fleshy. The tea soup is red with a strong flavor. One of Chinese black tea benefits is to diminish inflammation.
 

Chinese name: 湘红 (xiang hong)
Planting region: Anhua County, Yiyang City, Hunan Province, central south China

Hunan black tea has a red and bright appearance, sweet taste and a charming fragrance. Additionally, it can make your bones stronger. A small cup of Hunan black tea a day can keep osteoporosis away.
 

Chinese name: 宜红 (yi hong)
Planting regions: Wuling Mountain and Daba Mountain, Hubei Province, central China

The Yichang black tea with the best quality is straight and tight in shape, abundant in golden hair and bright and dark in color. As one of the 10 best Chinese black tea, Yichang black tea can ease vasodilation in people with heart disease based on official studies.
 

Chinese name: 越红 (yue hong)
Planting regions: Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, east China

As one of the Kung Fu black teas, Yuehong black tea has earned the reputation for its beautiful appearance, neat, sharp and high level of clarity. It can accelerate the excretion of lactic acid and other old wastes in the body to lessen fatigue.
 

Chinese name: 九曲红梅 (jiu qu hong mei)
Planting regions: West Lake region, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province

The perfect Jiuqu Red Plum is tight, slim, and neat and covered by golden fine hairs. It has a strong aroma like honey and orchids. Having it can quench thirst and cool one down, promote the excretion of internal rubbish, and maintain the balance of the body.
 

1. Withering: Wither leaves by heating or sunning outside to tarnish the leaf opex and make the leaf vein transparent.

2. Kneading: This is to balance the leave juice, so the taste of the inner and outer leave is the same. The leave size also becomes smaller.

3. Fermenting: Put the kneaded tea into the basket for fermentation. It aims to make the green tea leave become red.

4. Baking: Bake the fermented tea leave to make it dry for easier storage.
 

a. Fill the teapot with the tea leave; tea leave should be about five percent of the teapot.
b. Heat the water up to 90 - 95℃.
c. Pour the water into the teapot; wait for 45 seconds and pour the tea into small cups to smell and sip.
 

The Purple sand tea set and white porcelain tea set are professional black tea brewing sets. The proportion of 90 - 95℃ water and leaves is 50:1.

a. Pour the water into teapot and leave it for 2~3 minutes.
b. Pour the tea water into the tea cup in a circular way to make the taste unify.

When tasting, you should go slow. Good Kung Fu black tea can generally be brewed 2-3 times.
 

 Further Reading:
How  to Make Chinese Tea
6 Major Types of Chinese Tea