Description

What is “Dian Hong Cha”?

Dian Hong Cha is the Chinese term for black tea from the “cradle of tea”, the southern-east Chinese province of Yunnan. Here the picking and processing of tea look back on at least 3000 years of tradition. However, the exact time and circumstances of the origin of Yunnan’s tea culture blur in the fog of time….

Our Dian Hong Black & Golden Needle

Our Yunnan Dian Hong Black & Golden Needle comes from an extremely hard to access natural (wild) tea garden. The same locates at more than 2000 meters altitude on Yang Ta mountain, roughly 100km north of the famous tea cultivation areas Pu Er and Xishuanbanna. There, the inhabitants of a small settlement haven been picking and processing wild tea for 2000 years already.

According to the mountain tribe’s heritage, their ancestors at that time migrated here – guided by a vision of their village elder – from an infertile and arid region on their search for a more fertile habitat. On Yang Ta Mountain, besides a natural wealth of water, flora and fauna, they also found wild tea trees. Again following the vision of their village elder, they began to pick and process the leaves of these trees. Since then, the villagers have cultivated this tradition and passed it on from generation to generation. During this time they have developed the processing of their black tea into an art of highest masterful perfection.

Picking

The picking time for our Yunnan Black & Golden Needle Dian Hong Cha is every year for a short period in spring. Ah this, the qualified picking standard is 1+ 1. That is, one unopened bud each with its youngest leaf attached to it qualify for picking. At the proper picking time, both have about the same length.

Processing

The processing of our Yunnan Black & Golden Needle basically follows the general procedure of black tea processing. According to ancient Yunnan tradition, this means roasting the tea leaves in a wok pan over a wood fire. At this, the special needle shape arises from a highly skillfull process of rolling the tea buds and leaves. Also, the characteristic appearance of the processed and dried tea leaves emerges during this process. The unopened shoots take on a golden color, while the leaves turn dark to black.

Taste

The result is a black tea with a full-bodied, round taste, which combines an extremely multifaceted spectrum of distinctive aromas in perfect harmony. At this, the palette ranges from coconut to honey to spicy-sweet cocoa and chocolate notes. It is no exaggeration that the taste of this tea, the secret of which is not only the skillful processing but also the perfect balance of the shoots-to-young-leaves-ratio, is addictive… Anyone who has tried this tea once will never want to do without it again!

Health Aspects of Black Tea

To the outstanding taste features of our Black & Golden Needles adds a range o desirable health effects that are generelly attributed to black tea. Among these are an increase of physical and mental capacity, lowering of high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, general circulation stimulation and weight loss support. The high tannin content of black tea is supposedly also responsible for therapeutic effects in gastritis and other gastrointestinal diseases.  Beyond this, black tea is rich in natural fluorides that allegely promote a long teeth health and life.

Dian Hong Cha “Small Yinzhen” + “Big Yinzhen” – Black & Golden Needle + Golden Tips

Preparation

For preparation, we recommend dosing 2-3 grams of tea leaves per 100ml of water. First, pour boiling water over the tea leaves in the pot. Then let it steep for 3-5 minutes for a delicious first infusion. After such first steep, a second, 5-minute infusion will still reward you with full taste!

For more Dian Hong Cha and other Chinese black teas, click the follow link:

Chinese Black Teas @ Siam Tea Shop