Red tea

hóngchá · 红茶

Red tea is leaf let to oxidise fully before drying, turning the liquor a deep amber-red — the *hóng* that names it. The West calls it black tea, but China named it for the colour in the cup, not the leaf.

Oxidation · Fully oxidised — the leaf, let to turn completely

Here is the great translation trap of Chinese tea. What the English-speaking world calls black tea, China calls red tea — hóngchá — for the amber-red colour of the brewed liquor. (China keeps the word “black” for the dark, fermented hēichá, a different class entirely.) Same leaf, two names, endless confusion.

Red tea is fully oxidised: the rolled leaf is left in warm, humid air until it browns completely, then dried. Oxidation is what builds the malt, the dried fruit, the cocoa and the gentle sweetness. It is also the most travel-hardy class, which is why it conquered the world.

A class with a birthplace

The first red tea was Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong (Lapsang Souchong) from the Wuyi mountains of Fujian — and from that root grew Keemun in Anhui, the golden-tipped Dianhong of Yunnan, and the modern bud-only luxury Jin Jun Mei. Brew it hot and full; it forgives a heavy hand.

Varieties in this class

Red tea

Yunnan — the "Dian" of its name

Dianhong

diānhóng · 滇红

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

Tongmu, Wuyi, Fujian — 1,000–1,800 m

Jin Jun Mei

jīnjùnméi · 金骏眉

Honey, cocoa and ripe stone fruit over a smooth, full body — rich and sweet, with a velvety finish and no bitterness.

Qimen county, Huangshan, Anhui — 100–800 m

Qimen Hongcha

qímén hóngchá · 祁门红茶

Cocoa, dried rose and a malty sweetness, with the orchid-floral "Keemun aroma" — smooth and refined, with a clean, gentle finish.

Tongmu, Wuyi, Fujian — 700–1,800 m

Zhengshan Xiaozhong

zhèngshān xiǎozhǒng · 正山小种

Dried longan, pine smoke and a malty sweetness — warm and resinous in the smoked style, honey-sweet and fruity in the unsmoked.