Single-bud black tea
Explore teas made from selected buds, including Jin Jun Mei.
Learn about Chinese tea
What is Chinese black tea?
Discover the origins, craft, flavour and everyday ways to enjoy Chinese black tea.
Tea leaves, origin and craft
Tea is made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis. The traditional tea families include green, yellow, white, oolong, black and dark tea; scented and fruit teas offer further ways to enjoy tea.
Black tea is commonly described as fully fermented tea. In its manufacture, the leaves undergo oxidation, which helps develop their colour, aroma and taste.
Many fine Chinese black teas use spring-picked material and combine careful picking with skilled processing. Leaf material, place and craft all matter; floral, fruity and honeyed aromas can develop naturally, without added flavouring.
Origin and history of black tea
Lapsang Souchong from Tongmu in the Wuyi Mountains holds a central place in the history of black tea. Our brand history traces this tradition to 1568, more than four centuries ago.
Black tea later travelled beyond China, and regions associated with Keemun, Assam, Darjeeling and Ceylon developed their own tea traditions. Their different origins, leaf materials and methods are part of the variety of black tea today.
How black tea is made
The main stages are picking, withering, rolling, oxidation and drying. Different picking standards and desired flavours call for separate batches and careful control at each stage.
At our spring tea-making season, work often centres on April and May. A batch may take around two days, depending on the tea and conditions. Other regions and styles follow their own harvest schedules; season alone does not determine quality.
The craft of making black tea
Watch the tea-making process alongside the production steps above.
Black tea brewing tips
Gaiwan or small teapot
For a small gaiwan, a traditional Chinese lidded bowl, start with 3–5 g of tea and water at 95–100 °C. Keep the first few infusions short, up to about 15 seconds each, and drain the tea completely after each pour. Adjust later infusions to taste. Follow the product’s brewing instructions for the best starting point for that tea and vessel.
Cup: For a longer steep, try 1–2 g in 200–300 mL of water for 3–5 minutes, then adjust to taste.
Cold brewing
Many of our teas can be cold-brewed. Add tea and drinking water to a clean, covered glass bottle or pitcher, then steep in the refrigerator. Keep it chilled. Check the specific product’s brewing instructions for the tea-to-water ratio and chilling time.
How to appreciate black tea
- Dry leaves: notice the buds and leaves, their shape and how evenly they are made. Black and golden tones vary by tea.
- Liquor: look for clarity and brightness. Colours may range from gold through orange to orange-red.
- Taste: explore sweetness, mellowness and freshness, and how the cup changes between infusions.
- Aroma: look for floral, fruity, honeyed, fresh or herbaceous notes, according to the tea.
- Infused leaves: observe their shape, texture and colour; bronze tones are common in many black teas.
Black tea mix and match
Black tea can be enjoyed plain or combined with fruit, flowers and other ingredients for different flavours. The photographs and videos below offer serving ideas, rather than descriptions of added ingredients in every tea we sell.
- Red dates and ginger; hawthorn and apple.
- Longan and goji berries; sliced astragalus.
- Tangerine peel and pear; rose and jasmine.
Use ingredients intended for food preparation, and choose combinations that suit your own tastes and dietary needs.
From a warm fruit-and-tea pot to a floral cup, start with a black tea you enjoy and adjust the balance of tea and other ingredients.
Black tea with longan and goji berries
A fruit-and-tea serving idea to explore at home.
Black tea with rose and apple
Explore a floral and fruity way to serve black tea.
Black tea with green grapes
Watch a fresh-fruit tea recipe.
Black tea with red dates and ginger
A warm serving idea with red dates and ginger.
Black tea with iced coconut
See a chilled coconut-and-tea combination.
Black tea with tangerine peel and pear
Explore pear and citrus-peel flavours with black tea.
Black tea with osmanthus
Watch a floral serving idea featuring osmanthus.
How to store black tea
Keep tea sealed, dry, away from light and strong odours, in a cool place at normal room temperature. Close the inner pack or tin promptly after taking tea.
Follow the shelf life and storage instructions on the actual package. Good storage protects aroma; it does not guarantee that every black tea will improve over three to five years.
Zheng Shan Tang’s classic tinplate tins help protect tea from light, moisture and damage in everyday handling. Depending on the package, origin labels, QR codes, embossing and brand markings may help identify it. Check the actual product and packaging rather than assuming every format has identical features.
Chinese tea and different ways of drinking it
One appeal of Chinese tea is exploring the natural aroma of the leaf. Plain teas, scented teas and blends each have their place; read the individual ingredient list rather than judging a tea by the country in which it is served.
A longer cup infusion and a series of short gaiwan infusions offer different experiences. Gongfu brewing invites you to notice changes from one small cup to the next.
Producer stories, water, temperature and teaware can deepen that experience. Chinese tea culture offers space for a slower, more attentive moment, whether you use a traditional tea set or your usual teapot.
Comparing black tea styles
These are useful points of comparison, not universal rankings. Leaf appearance, harvest season, processing, ingredients, aroma, taste, brewing and product standards vary within each group.
Zheng Shan Tang black tea
Selected buds or leaves and careful processing give different teas floral, fruity, honeyed or smoky characters. Many work well for repeated short infusions. Check each product for its actual picking standard, ingredients and applicable standard.
Other Chinese black teas
Chinese origins offer whole-leaf and broken-leaf teas, different harvest seasons and many processing styles. Sweetness, strength and the number of infusions depend on the particular tea and how it is brewed.
Western tea traditions
Whole-leaf and broken-leaf teas are both used, served plain, with milk or in blends. Some teas have added flavourings and some do not. A longer cup or pot infusion is common; origin alone does not determine bitterness or quality.
Black tea product standards
Product standards describe requirements for particular tea categories, including quality, testing, labelling, packaging and storage. National, industry and association standards have different scopes; they are not a simple ranking of every tea’s taste.
- GB/T 13738.3-2012: Black tea — Part 3: Souchong black tea. Zheng Shan Tang’s production company is listed among the drafting organisations.
- GH/T 1118-2015: Jinjunmei tea, an industry standard issued in 2015.
- T/CTMA 002-2018: Jun Mei Black Tea, an association standard developed with participation from Zheng Shan Tang and other tea regions.
Brand illustrations of the three standards appear below. For a purchase, check the standard and other information stated on that product’s actual packaging.
Which style of black tea would you like to explore?
Explore Jin Jun Mei
Lapsang Souchong black tea
Discover the Tongmu tradition and the variety of smoked and unsmoked styles.
High-aroma black tea
Look for distinctive natural floral and fruity characters.
Wild black tea
Explore this style through the individual tea’s origin, leaf material and flavour.
Regional black tea
Different tea-growing regions contribute their own materials and craft.
Gongfu black tea
A traditional Chinese black-tea category with many regional expressions.
Questions about black tea
Is black tea made from a different plant than green tea?
Both are made from Camellia sinensis. Leaf material and processing, including oxidation, help produce their different styles.
Does Chinese black tea need added flavouring?
Floral, fruity and honey-like notes can develop naturally from the tea plant cultivar and the way the tea is processed. Jasmine tea is traditionally scented with jasmine flowers. Check the ingredient list for the specific product if you want to know how it was made.
How many times can I brew the same leaves?
It depends on the tea, quantity, water and steeping time. Start with the tea’s own instructions and adjust subsequent infusions to taste.
Will every black tea get better with age?
A well-stored black tea may become mellower as its aroma changes. Follow the date and storage instructions on the package. Keep tea sealed, dry, and away from light and strong odors. Do not drink it if it has become damp or smells musty.
