Producing Black Tea with Outstanding Quality from Yunnan with a Floral Flavor
Yunnan, like Darjeeling, has a high elevation, so the quality of tea from general tea gardens is very similar to that of Darjeeling tea.
However, when it comes to tea leaves harvested from old trees in natural, abandoned tea gardens that serve as raw material for high-quality raw pu-erh tea, the quality is astonishingly high.
The black tea from Yunnan, as previously mentioned, typically undergoes a short withering process and has deep fermentation, making it similar to Assam tea in nature.
This makes it a tea with a mild flavor and a very good compatibility with milk.
Yunnan Gong Fu Black Tea is made using more mature tea leaves with one bud and two to three leaves for withering.
Producing Black Tea with a Rich Flavor by Innovating the Withering Method
When producing Yunnan Gong Fu Black Tea, we experimented with various withering methods. Initially, we considered spreading the tea leaves on bamboo baskets indoors since Yunnan lacks proper equipment. However, the results were not favorable, so we introduced withering layers and used air to efficiently wither the leaves.
As a result of prolonged withering, the tea has a rich flavor that pairs well with milk, and the tea leaves turned a reddish color due to the thorough withering process.
However, since we used extremely high-quality first flush tea leaves, the tea has a deep richness, a long-lasting aftertaste, and a very complex flavor, making it a tea in a different class from typical black tea.
Most Yunnan Black Tea Comes from Managed Tea Gardens in Fengqing County
Yunnan black tea is also known as "Dian Hong."
"Dian" refers to Yunnan Province, and "Hong" refers to black tea. Therefore, "Dian Hong" refers to black tea from Yunnan Province. Most Yunnan black tea (Dian Hong) is produced in an area called Fengqing County in Lincang City.
If you receive Yunnan black tea or Dian Hong as a gift, or if you purchase Yunnan black tea from a specialty Chinese tea store, it is safe to assume that most of it comes from Fengqing.
Fengqing County is a region with a high population of Han Chinese, unlike other regions in Yunnan where ethnic minorities are the majority. In Yunnan, historically significant tea gardens with old trees are typically owned by ethnic minorities.
In contrast, many of the tea gardens owned by Han Chinese are newly developed and follow a conventional cultivation style, similar to tea gardens in Japan, Taiwan, India, and Sri Lanka, with tea plants of relatively young age.
The elevation of these tea gardens is around 1500-1600m, and while the quality is good, it is considered middle to upper grade compared to other black tea-producing regions.
The tea plants grow among shrubs.
Producing Black Tea from Top-Quality Raw Materials Used for Raw Pu-erh Tea
To achieve high-quality raw tea leaves, we chose natural farming tea gardens at an elevation of 2100-2200m in Zhenkang County, rather than well-managed tea gardens in Fengqing.
These tea gardens are owned by the Yi ethnic minority, and all the trees are over 100 years old, semi-wild. The quality of tea leaves is higher at higher elevations, with older trees and no fertilizer.
The common factor among these three elements is slow growth. Tea leaves that grow slowly are rich in polyphenols and minerals, providing a deep aftertaste, long-lasting finish, and a richness that permeates the throat.
These high-quality tea leaves are usually processed into raw pu-erh tea because high-quality raw materials fetch a higher price when made into raw pu-erh tea.
However, by purchasing directly from farmers, we kept the purchase price low.
The Mystery of Tea Creating Flavor When Attacked by Insects!
In semi-wild tea gardens, tea leaves coexist with various plants and insects, making it inevitable for insects like leafhoppers to suck the sap from the leaves.
However, tea leaves attacked by insects produce defensive substances called terpenes to resist. Interestingly, these tea leaves develop a honey-like sweet flavor after fermentation.
