What Is Black Tea? Production, Aroma, and Origins

The flavors of black tea are formed mainly through two enzymatic reactions. One is the breakdown of terpene glycosides during withering and rolling; through the action of beta-glucosidase, floral aromatic compounds such as linalool and geraniol are released. The other is the fermentation of polyphenols by polyphenol oxidase, which proceeds after rolling and forms the characteristic properties of black tea. Of these, the former is the principal reaction that produces aromatic compounds reminiscent of flowers and fruit.

Those who have observed black-tea production may know that immediately after rolling, the leaves give off a bright floral or menthol-like aroma. As production proceeds, however, this aroma gradually changes into the familiar aroma we associate with black tea.

In general, black tea is heated at a high temperature to stop fermentation. High heat, however, also removes the fresh floral aroma. Conversely, if heating is insufficient, enzymes partly remain, fermentation proceeds too far, and the tea changes into an unpleasant aroma accompanied by a steamed smell.

The Importance of Fermentation Control in Black Tea Production

Japanese black tea, often called wakoucha, is frequently said to have a distinctive aroma. Many people describe it as a “wakoucha-like aroma,” but on evaluation, much of it is not inherent to wakoucha; it is often an over-fermented aroma caused by insufficient control of fermentation enzymes.

In Japan, equipment for green tea is often adapted for black-tea production, although it is not suited to black-tea processing. Consequently, the heating needed to deactivate enzymes and the drying process needed to lower moisture cannot be sufficiently controlled, and many black teas have excessive enzyme activity. As a result, polyphenols are over-fermented, producing tannins called thearubigins, while amino acids undergo reductive decomposition, producing the so-called steamed smell.

The aroma accompanied by this steamed smell is not a “wakoucha aroma,” but an odor caused by a problem in the tea-making process and, in our view, a quality defect. The same phenomenon is seen not only in wakoucha but also in black teas from Taiwan, China, and India.

To minimize such defects, we place importance on how the tea-making process is designed and managed. We accurately understand the conditions at every stage, then evaluate the finished product and select exclusively for us only black teas with little noticeable steamed smell and a high, well-balanced quality of aroma.

A New World of Black Tea Created by HOJO's Own Method

Each year, we stay in Yunnan Province to manage tea production, purchasing, and logistics, while also working on the development of new teas.

We are not producers who own plantations, but we borrow the equipment and raw material of local producers and handle everything ourselves, from designing the tea-making process through production.

Made with low-temperature processing to minimize heat damage to the leaves, this tea is a distinctive black tea that does not fit existing categories. We previously called it a new-style black tea, but have decided to call it Qing Xiang Black Tea.

To Preserve the Characteristic Aroma That Appears During Black Tea Processing

In developing Qing Xiang Black Tea, we aimed to preserve as much as possible the aroma that appears during tea processing.

To solve this dilemma, we developed a way to stop fermentation reliably while keeping heating to a minimum. The result was a tea with properties between white tea and black tea, which does not fit neatly into conventional classifications.

We would ideally like to call it red-white tea, but as that name is somewhat problematic, we decided on the Qing Xiang Black Tea series.

The Processing Philosophy of Qing Xiang Black Tea

For the Qing Xiang Black Tea series, we emphasize withering to sufficiently advance the breakdown of terpene glycosides, while deliberately restraining the fermentation of polyphenols.

When polyphenol fermentation advances strongly, it forms the heavy aroma characteristic of black tea, while gradually masking the light, floral and menthol-like aroma that appears during processing. By restraining fermentation, we place importance on preserving as much as possible the floral, refreshing aroma that appears during black-tea processing.

For this reason, the leaf color is close to green, and the leaves of Qing Xiang Black Tea Purple Tea after hot water is poured over them look like Phoenix Dancong oolong tea. At first glance it may look like a lightly fermented tea, but because it has been sufficiently withered and rolled, it is finished as a tea with a highly distinctive flavor.

Black Tea Made by a New Method

We cannot disclose details because the method is a trade secret, but we have succeeded in producing black tea by a new method unlike conventional black-tea production. This is not simply an innovation in one step: we optimized the overall process, adding our own refinements to every stage, including withering, fermentation, fermentation stopping, and drying, with the common aim of minimizing stress on the tea.

This new method was developed by HOJO. It differs entirely from the methods used for Yunnan black tea, Darjeeling, and ordinary Chinese and Sri Lankan black teas. By minimizing heat damage and preventing excessive heating of the tea, it produces a result resembling a hybrid of black tea and white tea. Through this method, Wild Black Tea was transformed substantially, becoming very gentle on the palate, fresh, and marked by bright flavors reminiscent of fresh fruit and flowers.

Black Tea Finished by Ourselves

We carried out the production of this new black tea ourselves. Using the producer's equipment, we controlled every parameter ourselves, from withering through final drying, and created our ideal black tea. It is literally handmade black tea by us at HOJO.

Made with the Same Exceptional Leaves as HOJO Raw Pu-erh Tea

The leaves used this time were plucked from centuries-old trees in places such as Dachalin, Tangjia, and Wujia Pingzhang, and are of the highest quality that we have used to produce old-tree white tea and raw Pu-erh tea. Small-lot production made it possible to produce black tea at primary processing facilities that had produced raw Pu-erh tea and white tea rather than at conventional black-tea factories. As a result, we developed not only a new type of black tea, but also a tea with an intense lingering finish and aftertaste beyond conventional ideas of black tea.

The Qing Xiang Black Tea Series Is Also Ideal for Cold Brewing

We especially recommend white tea for cold brewing. Since the Qing Xiang Black Tea series has elements of both white tea and black tea, it is likewise exceptionally suited to cold brewing. When cold brewed, a bright flavor reminiscent of natural wine emerges rather than a black-tea flavor, and it becomes almost like another tea. Black tea is generally difficult to pair with food, but this product, which lacks a typical black-tea character, is also excellent as a tea with meals that complements Japanese, Western, and Chinese cooking alike.

Furthermore, when made sparkling with a carbonated-water maker, it develops a flavor reminiscent of natural sparkling wine, to the point that one forgets it is tea.

For more on the climate and tea growth in Yunnan, see “Yunnan Field Report 2026: Climate Conditions and Tea Growth This Year”.

Black Tea by Region

Black Tea from Yunnan Province

Yunnan Province has exceptional raw material that could fairly be called the finest in the world, but production management is lax, making it very difficult to obtain our ideal tea by purchasing finished tea. We therefore stay locally throughout the spring season, discuss which gardens' raw material to use, and manage production conditions on site while closely watching not only tea-making methods but also daily changes in weather.

In general, Yunnan black tea is represented by well-fermented teas, such as those in our lineup, that pair well with milk tea.

Wild Black Tea is a black tea made from old wild tea trees growing naturally in the mountains of Zhenkang, Lincang, Yunnan Province. Many products described as “wild tea” circulate on the market, but most are cultivated in fields and are not wild tea in the original sense. We carefully select and purchase only genuine wild tea growing naturally in the mountains, after confirming it locally.

Zicha is grown in tea gardens at around 2,000 meters in Lincang and, depending on the processing method, displays a flavor reminiscent of shiso leaves, peach, or menthol.

How Quality Is Linked from Yunnan

In my experience over the past 20 years, tea growth and the quality of a given year in Yunnan Province are reflected directly in tea from other regions of China, Taiwan, and Japan.

For example, in years when tea from Yunnan has a strong green flavor and weak floral flavor, Phoenix Dancong, teas from Taiwan, and teas from Japan show the same tendency. The same tendency is seen not only in tea, but also among cucumber growers and fruit growers.

In other words, the growth conditions and quality of tea in Yunnan can be regarded as a leading indicator for other tea-producing regions.

For more on the climate and tea growth in Yunnan, see “Yunnan Field Report 2026: Climate Conditions and Tea Growth This Year”.

Darjeeling

We prefer to work with Arya Tea Estate because of its high-quality teas and excellent tea-making skills. Ruby, one of Arya's representative teas, is based mainly on the clonal cultivar called AV2, which excels in flavor and taste. In the garden section where Ruby is harvested, AV2 is the main cultivar, but other cultivars are also mixed in; we believe this contributes to Ruby's complex, bright flavor. Diamond, another representative tea from Arya, consists only of AV2, which gives it its characteristic transparent and unified flavor.

Tea is commonly thought to be better the newer it is, but this can be called a preconception. Tea is a processed product and, like wine or ham, can develop a brighter character through proper aging that cannot be obtained from new tea. In particular, semi-fermented teas such as Darjeeling and oolong tea develop a sweeter, stronger, and richer flavor through anaerobic aging. The difference between tea before and after aging is marked. For example, the flavor of oolong teas such as Phoenix Dancong oolong grows stronger year by year through anaerobic storage.

First Flush Ruby is a full-bodied black tea that feels rounded in the mouth and is satisfying to drink. It has a calm floral flavor and a pleasant, rich taste with substantial body.

Qimen (Keemun) Black Tea

Qimen (Keemun) Black Tea is black tea from Qimen County, Anhui Province, and is one of the well-known fine teas of the world. Qimen County has producers of many sizes, but we purchase from the long-established Qimen Black Tea Factory.

This factory has produced black tea of stable quality for many years, and each year we assess the condition of the leaves and select either the Li Cha grade or the Ming Cha grade.

Since Qimen (Keemun) Black Tea becomes more appealing when aged a little rather than sold as new tea, we consider anaerobic aging before sale an important step.

Pesticide-Free Benihikari Black Tea from Tsukigase, Nara

Tsukigase lies at the northeastern edge of Nara Prefecture, close to Minamiyamashiro Village in Kyoto Prefecture and Iga-Ueno City in Mie Prefecture. Tea gardens spread across the slopes along with plum groves, divided by the deep valley carved by the Nabari River. The terrain's difference in elevation from the mountain foothills to the Nabari River in the valley floor creates temperature differences between day and night, bringing a gentle taste and transparent flavor to the tea trees through natural stress.

The soil here consists of the ancient Lake Biwa strata, formed about five to one million years ago. Deep strata contain sediments and fossils, while red soil appears in some surface areas. In particular, tea gardens developed along mountain shoulders often have many red-soil layers, and the tea we purchase is also cultivated in such gardens. This iron-rich soil brings a long lingering finish. In addition, because the tea gardens are on slopes rather than flat land, their root systems can draw water from deeper layers instead of moisture near the surface. These deeply extending roots produce mineral-rich tea.

Benihikari was bred in Japan in 1969 as a black-tea cultivar. It was created by crossing Benikaori with a Chinese-lineage tea tree, and has a refreshing flavor resembling menthol.

This product is less fermented than Darjeeling First Flush and has a refreshing flavor with a faint menthol note and bright flavors reminiscent of pineapple, grapes, and honey. Its clear flavor continues through repeated infusions.

For more on Tsukigase Black Tea Benihikari, see “New Release: Tsukigase Black Tea Benihikari”.