A guide to Chinese black tea

In Tongmu Village, high in Fujian’s Wuyi Mountains, the Jiang family’s tea-making tradition stretches back to the story of Lapsang Souchong. The old pine-smoked black tea, the wooden Qinglou and the narrow mountain valleys all form part of that history.

In 2005, Jiang Yuanxun led the Zheng Shan Tang team in developing Jin Jun Mei. The team began with tender tea buds and adapted the local black-tea process to bring out a clean fragrance, golden liquor and a fresh, sweet taste. From 2010, Zheng Shan Tang started bringing the Junmei approach to other tea regions, working with local growers and makers to develop black teas from their own cultivars.

Zheng Shan Tang’s family tradition places the story around 1568, in the Ming dynasty. During the picking season, passing soldiers are said to have rested on baskets of fresh leaves. By morning the leaves had reddened. Tea makers rolled them and dried them over pine, creating a dark tea with a striking smoke fragrance. The story continues in Xingcun, where the tea was first sold cheaply. Buyers are said to have returned the following season asking for more.

Tongmu, including the villages of Miaowan and Jiangdun named in old tea accounts, lies among high ridges and deep valleys. The mountains are often misty and wet, and evergreen forest shelters many of the gardens. Loose, mildly acidic yellow and red-yellow mountain soils, along with the changes in temperature between day and night, help describe the landscape in which the tea grows.

• Seventeenth century. Chinese tea reached European ports through Dutch and other merchants. Catherine of Braganza’s marriage to Charles II in 1662 is a familiar part of the story of tea at the English court. In the late seventeenth century, Xiamen was among the ports through which Wuyi tea moved overseas.
• 1745. The Swedish East India Company’s Götheborg ran aground near its home port on the way back from China, with tea among its cargo.
• 1773. The teas carried to Boston included Bohea, Souchong and other varieties. The destruction of the tea became a turning point in the American Revolution.
• Nineteenth century. Tea remained important in Britain’s China trade. In 1848 the East India Company sent Robert Fortune to obtain Chinese tea plants and study production. He brought plants and manufacturing knowledge to India. Within China, makers in Qimen and other regions adapted black-tea techniques to their own leaves.

Over time black tea found a place in everyday gatherings, including British afternoon tea. Lapsang Souchong’s pine aroma gives it a distinct place in that wider drinking tradition.

The traditional Qinglou is a multilevel wooden tea house. A fire of Masson pine supplies heat and smoke from below. Bamboo sieves on the roasting racks hold the leaves. Opening or closing doors regulates the flow of warm air, and residual warmth on the upper floors can be used to wither the fresh leaf.

1. Picking. Select developed material, traditionally one bud and two or three leaves, in the local spring picking season.
2. Withering. In Tongmu’s damp tea season the Qinglou’s warmth helps soften the leaf.
3. Rolling. Work the leaf into tighter strips so the juice reaches the surface.
4. Oxidation. The covered basket keeps the rolled leaf warm as it changes colour and fragrance.
5. Hot-pan finishing. Heating the oxidised leaf stops enzyme activity at the chosen point.
6. Re-rolling. Tighten the strips that loosened in the hot pan.
7. Smoke-drying. Spread the tea on bamboo sieves and dry it in the warm pine smoke. This step gives the traditional smoked style its recognisable fragrance.

Traditional smoked Lapsang Souchong has tightly rolled, dark strips with a slight sheen. In the warm cup, pine smoke and the sweetness of dried longan can appear together. The liquor is usually clear, bright and orange-red. Look for a rounded, smooth body and a lingering finish after you swallow.

Keep the first few infusions separate. As the liquor lightens, compare which lasts longer, the pine fragrance or the fruit sweetness. Then unfold the soft, bronze-coloured spent leaves. The tea can be served plain or, in a stronger infusion, with milk or sugar. Follow the storage guidance on the package when keeping it for later.

As the new century began, the Zheng Shan Tang team was looking for a new use for Tongmu’s leaves and a way to serve drinkers who preferred black tea plain. In the summer of 2005, a conversation among Jiang Yuanxun and visiting tea friends turned to what could be made from the young buds. The team picked a small batch, withered and rolled the buds, controlled warmth and moisture during oxidation, and dried the tea with charcoal heat.

They brewed the trial tea the next day. A bright golden liquor, an immediate fragrance and a fresh sweetness with a long finish gave them something to work towards. The makers continued testing and comparing batches in 2006 and adjusted the process with feedback from tasters before offering the tea to customers in 2007. The result, named Jin Jun Mei, helped renew attention to drinking Chinese black tea plain, so its own aroma could be tasted clearly.

The Tongmu style of Jin Jun Mei starts with fine spring buds. Makers spread them in a gently warmed, ventilated space to wither, with sunlight used when suitable. Rolling is done in stages to tighten the delicate buds. For oxidation, the leaves are arranged so airflow, warmth and humidity can be managed together. Drying over controlled heat completes the process and brings the aroma into focus.

The finished strips are small and even, mostly dark with golden accents. The clear golden liquor can carry flowers, fruit and honey together. Look for a fresh sweetness in the liquor, a soft throat feel and fragrance that remains after swallowing. At the end, spread the delicate, bright bronze-coloured buds to see how they have opened. The way the aroma develops from one infusion to the next is as revealing as the first fragrance.

Beginning in 2010, Zheng Shan Tang took the Junmei black-tea method to partner gardens and makers in different Chinese tea regions. Teams adapted the handling of the leaf to local cultivars, soils, elevations, rainfall and climate. The aim was to keep the clear, fragrant and sweet character associated with Junmei while leaving room for the character of each origin.

The partner regions include Pu’an in Guizhou, Guzhang in Hunan, Badong in Hubei, Xinyang in Henan, Zhucheng in Shandong, Guangyuan in Sichuan, Huangshan in Anhui, Shaoxing in Zhejiang and Fengqing in Yunnan, as well as Baisha in Hainan, Chayu in Tibet’s Nyingchi area, and Longlin in Guangxi. Regional teas include Kuaiji Hong, Wanqing Hong, Dianhong from Fengqing, Chaoran Hong and Guangyuan Hong. The partnership framework took shape by 2018.

The Junmei approach can be used with several kinds of picking material. Try comparing the leaf shape, the colour of the liquor, the aroma and the opened leaves, then look up the origin and picking style on the label.

• Single-bud style. Fine, neat strips can combine gold, yellow and dark tones. The liquor is often clear gold, with a fresh sweetness and a lasting sweet fragrance.
• Bud-and-leaf style. Small buds and leaves can give darker, shiny strips and a rounder body, with a clear golden liquor and a sweet aroma.
• Multi-leaf style. Dark-brown strips and a brighter red liquor are common reference points. Taste for a more mellow body and see how evenly the larger leaves open.

Compare the styles using the same vessel and similar infusions. Read the stated tea type, place and grade together when choosing a pack.

Three milestones shaped the standards described here: GB/T 13738.3-2012 for Souchong black tea, GH/T 1118-2015 for Jin Jun Mei, and the T/CTMA 002-2018 association standard for Junmei black tea. Official records and association materials identify Zheng Shan Tea among the organisations involved in drafting or review. The standards address different products and give producers and buyers common terms for discussing quality.

Traceability connects the fresh leaf to the finished pack. Records can include garden inputs, field work, processing and test reports. Four useful quality-control checkpoints are residue screening before picking, sampling during processing, a finished-lot check before release, and checks on products already on sale. Sensory review complements the records by examining the dry leaf, liquor, aroma, taste and infused leaf.

On the pack, compare the tea type, declared origin, grade, lot number and storage details. Use any traceability marking according to its printed instructions. Use the standard number on that pack to find the applicable edition. Historical references GB/T 13738.3 · GH/T 1118 · T/CTMA 002

White porcelain and clear glass let you see the colour of black tea clearly. A white porcelain gaiwan makes it easy to smell the lid and pour off a short infusion. A clear glass cup or heat-safe glass pot is useful when you want to watch the leaves open and the liquor change colour. For several people, use a sharing pitcher to even out the strength before serving.

1. Choose and measure the tea, then prepare fresh drinking water.
2. Look at the dry leaf and smell it while the kettle heats.
3. Warm the gaiwan or pot and the cups, then empty them completely.
4. Add the tea, pour in water and time the infusion.
5. Decant all the liquor into a pitcher or a cup. Pour, offer the tea and taste when it is comfortably warm.

These are the handbook’s short-infusion starting points. For each row, use a 150 mL gaiwan and 100°C water.

• Single buds: 2–3 g, 5–10 seconds.
• Bud and leaf: 3–4 g, 5–10 seconds.
• Several leaves with the bud: 4–5 g, 10–20 seconds.

Pour the first infusion off completely. If it is too strong, start the next round with less tea or a shorter infusion. Follow the package directions where they differ.

Gaiwan: Warm a white porcelain gaiwan and your cups. The general method uses 3–5 g and 100°C spring or purified water. A rinse is usually unnecessary. Pour off the first infusion quickly, then let later rounds sit a little longer to reach the strength you enjoy.

Stovetop: Put 5 g in a stovetop-safe pot with 500–600 mL of water. Bring it to the boil, cook gently for about 3 minutes and strain. A transparent pot lets you see the colour if it is rated for the stove.

Covered infusion: Place 3–5 g in a heat-safe covered pot. Add 500–600 mL of hot water, cover for about 3 minutes and pour off the liquor. Taste and adjust the leaf or time for the next brew.

Compare teas using the same water, vessel and timings. Start with the plain infusion before adding fruit or flowers. Record what you notice rather than trying to match a list of tasting notes.

• Dry leaf: note its shape, colour and fragrance.
• Liquor: observe colour and clarity in white porcelain or glass.
• Aroma: smell the lid or cup while warm and again as it cools.
• Texture and finish: take a small sip at a comfortable temperature. Notice sweetness, body and what lingers after swallowing.
• Infused leaves: look at their colour and form. Write down the dose, water temperature and timing so you can repeat a cup you like.

Start with a cup of black tea you have tasted on its own. Add the ingredients a little at a time so the tea remains recognisable.

• Jujube and ginger: add a little sliced or shredded fresh ginger and pitted dried red jujubes to black tea. Taste for the balance between spicy ginger and the sweetness of the dates.
• Longan and goji: use dried longan flesh with the shells and stones removed, plus goji berries. Give the fruit time to soften in the warm tea.
• Pear and dried tangerine peel: peel and cut a snow pear, then add a small piece of dried tangerine peel to black tea. The pear brings a gentle sweetness and the peel a citrus fragrance.

Compare the ingredient’s aroma with the tea’s own fruit, honey or floral notes. Start with less and add to taste.

• Hawthorn and apple: combine a little fresh hawthorn and sliced apple with black tea for a tart-fruit accent.
• Astragalus and black tea: the handbook pairs a cup of black tea with a small amount of food-grade dried astragalus. Use it as an optional flavouring.
• Rose and jasmine: add a few dried, food-grade rose petals and jasmine flowers. Smell the cup before adding more, as the flowers can quickly dominate.

Tea can absorb moisture when its container is opened repeatedly in humid air. Check the packet and dry leaf before brewing. Tea kept dry usually smells characteristic of the style and feels dry. Clumping, unusual softness or a stale or musty odour can signal moisture exposure. Dry-leaf texture varies by style and cannot establish safety on its own.

Check for visible mould and water damage. If you see mould, smell mustiness or find obvious water damage, discard the tea without tasting. Do not try to salvage it by drying or boiling. For tea that looks and smells sound, compare its liquor with what is normal for that tea. A dull aroma or unusual cloudiness is a reason to review the storage conditions.

Choose a clean, dark cupboard or another dry space away from strong-smelling food, steam and direct heat. The handbook’s reference conditions are below 25°C and below 50% relative humidity. Follow the storage and date instructions for your particular tea.

Keep intact packs closed. A lidded outer container offers extra protection. For loose tea, a clean food-grade paper pouch can go inside a dry, airtight box. A well-closing tinplate tea caddy also helps shield the leaves from light and damp air. Close the container as soon as you have taken your portion and always use a clean, dry scoop.