Tea Knowledge - What are the types of Chinese black tea?

Black tea is one of the six major types of tea in China. It is a post-fermented tea with the core of the "pile fermentation" process. It has the characteristics of becoming more fragrant and mellower with age.

Depending on the production process, form and origin, black tea can be divided into multiple categories and varieties.

The following are the main classifications and representative teas:

◆ Classification by process and form

1. Sanjian

• Tianjian: Pressed from the first-grade black tea, it has a dark appearance, orange-yellow soup color, strong fragrance, and yellow-brown leaves. It is a top-grade black tea.
• Gongjian: Using the second-grade black tea, the color is dark brown with a dark luster, the aroma is pure, and the taste is mellow.
• Shengjian: Using the third-grade black tea as raw material, the aroma is bland with a burnt aroma, the soup color is dark brown, and the leaf bottom is rough and old.

2. Four bricks

• Fu brick: The brick body with moderate tightness promotes "flowering" (growth of Aspergillus niger), forming a unique mushroom flower fragrance, and the soup color is orange-yellow. Representative varieties include Hunan Fu brick and Shaanxi Jingyang Fu brick.
• Black brick: The raw material is black tea, the brick surface is flat, the soup color is yellow-red, and it is durable in storage. It is mainly sold in the northwest region.
• Flower brick: Evolved from flower roll tea, the brick surface has patterns, the soup color is red and yellow, and the craftsmanship is similar to that of black brick.
• Green brick: The raw material is old green tea, the brick shape is tight, and the taste is mellow. Hubei Chibi rice brick tea is the representative.

3. Flower roll tea

• Qianliang tea (flower roll tea): The raw material is Anhua black tea, which is manually stepped on, exposed to the sun and dew at night to form a cylinder, weighing about 1,000 liang (36.25 kg). The tea soup has the fragrance of Polygonum leaf and bamboo. The longer it is stored, the better the quality.
• Hundred-liang tea/Ten-liang tea: smaller in size and weight, the production process is the same as that of thousand-liang tea.

◆ Classification by origin and characteristics

1. Hunan black tea

Anhua black tea: core representative, including Fuzhuan, Qianliang tea, Tianjian, etc., produced in moraine landform area, with unique aged fragrance, and was designated as "official tea" in the Ming Dynasty.

Xiangjian series: a general term for Tianjian, Gongjian, and Shengjian, which were tributes in the Qing Dynasty.

2. Hubei black tea

Old green tea: divided into surface tea and inner tea, with a compact brick shape and red and yellow soup color, represented by Chibi green brick tea.

3. Sichuan black tea

Nanlubian tea: the raw materials of Kangzhuan and Jinjian are pressed, mainly sold in Tibet, with a mellow taste.

Ya'an Tibetan tea: with a thousand years of history, red and thick soup color, it has the effect of lowering blood lipids and is the "drink of life" for Tibetan compatriots.

4. Yunnan Black Tea

Pu'er Ripe Tea: Made from large-leaf sun-dried green tea leaves, it is pile-fermented and has an aged aroma. The older it gets, the more mellow it becomes. It can be collected for a long time.

5. Guangxi Black Tea

Liubao Tea: Known for its "red, strong, aged, and mellow" flavor, the soup is deep red with a betel nut aroma. It was sold well in Southeast Asia during the Qing Dynasty.

6. Shaanxi Black Tea

Jingyang Fuzhuan Tea: Made from Hunan raw materials in Jingyang, with lush golden flowers, it is the "mysterious tea" on the ancient Silk Road.

◆ Other special varieties

Anhui An Tea: Post-fermented tea, with a clear yellow soup color, medicinal value, created in the Qing Dynasty.

Qionglai Black Tea: A Sichuan geographical indication product, with an orange-yellow soup color and yellow-brown leaves.

◆ National Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Black Tea

1. Qianliang Tea (Anhua, Hunan): Traditional handmade, with the reputation of "World Tea King".
2. Fuzhuan Tea (Yiyang, Hunan/Jingyang, Shaanxi): With "Golden Flower" as the quality mark, it helps digestion and relieves greasiness.
3. Nanlubian Tea (Ya'an, Sichuan): A representative of Tibetan tea, it is complicated in craftsmanship and takes half a year to make.

Summary and tasting suggestions

Collection value: Due to the continuous action of microorganisms, black tea becomes more fragrant as it ages. Pu'er ripe tea and Qianliang tea are suitable for long-term storage.

Brewing method: It is suitable to brew or boil with boiling water. New tea can be brewed 3-5 times. It is recommended to brew old tea first and then boil it to release the aged fragrance.

Efficacy: lowering blood lipids, regulating the stomach and intestines, and anti-oxidation. Aged tea has stronger pharmacological properties.