Red Tea (Chinese Black Tea)

Red tea (红茶 hóng chá), or Chinese black tea, suffers from a controversial image, mainly due to the timeless comparison with green tea. It's known to the west as "black tea", a misleading nickname which defines "hei cha" 黑茶 (literally means "black tea"), a ripe pu'er-like from Anhua province, known as "dark tea". The situation today is even more confusing, since a trendy herbal tea named Rooibos has hit the shelves and being named "red tea" as well.

Chinese red tea is originated in the Wu Yi Mountains in northern Fujian in Ming Dynasty (mid-17th century), and from day one was favored by foreign audiences outside China and was destined for export. Today red tea is the most common tea in the world, mainly due to its dominance in the Indian subcontinent, which is also the largest producer of red tea in the world.

Chinese Red Tea

Thanks to its relative simplicity in production, black tea boasts a variety of versions and has widespread popularity throughout China. In China, red tea is much more highly esteemed than in the west. In fact, to this day, the most expensive tea purchase in history was of a Chinese red tea Jin Jun Mei 金骏眉. Classic red tea undergoes a process of controlled oxidation, rolling, and full drying that prevents future enzymatic activity, unlike white tea or Pu-erh. Therefore, we define it as a "simple" tea, although in recent years, we've witnessed the emergence of intriguing and complex experimental versions of red tea that break the conventions of the well-known and esteemed red tea, such as hybrid Red-Wulong teas, natural drying methods as Shai Hong, and more.

Growing Areas

Wuyi

Shouning

Fujian

Fengqing

Yunnan

Our Chinese Black Tea

Many Chinese farmers, especially from the Yunnan province, produce red tea as a secondary product. Therefore, it's challenging to find farms dedicated solely to the cultivation and production of red tea, other than in iconic red tea growing regions like Qimen 祁門 (Keemun) in Anhui province, or Sun Moon Lake 日月潭 in Taiwan. Over the years, we've encountered more and more farmers from various terroirs, specializing in the cultivation and production of red tea in China, Taiwan, Thailand and India. Despite the hype around famous tea names as those mentioned, our red tea often comes from unexpected areas, like Anxi 安溪 in Fujian province, or high mountains (gao shan 高山茶) in Taiwan, such as Emei Shan 峨眉山. This approach has allowed us to curate a precise yet diverse collection of red teas, each with a unique character and profile. As of 2024, this is the collection we are most proud of, consisting of some of the most creative, exciting, and rare teas we've tasted in recent years.