Dianhong

diānhóng

滇红

Yunnan's golden-tipped red tea, made from the same broad-leaf trees as pu-erh. Rich, malty and honey-sweet, with so many fine golden buds in the top grades that the dry leaf glows amber.

Region: Yunnan — the "Dian" of its name
Harvest: Spring; golden-tipped grades from young buds
Oxidation: Fully oxidised
Cultivar: Yunnan broad-leaf (assamica)

In the cup

Malt, honey, cocoa and a hint of stone fruit — rich and rounded, with a smooth sweetness and almost no bitterness.

What it gives

A warming, energising cup — fuller-bodied caffeine than a green, and the comfort of a fully oxidised leaf.

Dianhong — literally Yunnan red, Diān being the old name for the province — is one of China’s great red teas, and a relatively young one, developed in the twentieth century to bring Yunnan’s leaf to the black-tea market. It is made from the same broad-leaf assamica trees that give us pu-erh, which is exactly why it is so rich and full-bodied.

The signature of a fine Dianhong is gold. The top grades are heavy with downy young buds that oxidise to a bright amber, so the dry leaf looks shot through with golden threads — jīnzhēn, golden needles, at the finest end. More buds means more sweetness and more of that honeyed, malty character.

In the cup

Dianhong is forgiving and generous. Brew it Western style for a deep, malty mug, or gongfu for a leaf that gives many sweet, evolving steeps. Expect malt, honey and cocoa with a soft stone-fruit edge, and a smoothness that needs no milk or sugar — though it takes both kindly.

How to brew