Varieties of Gongfu Black Tea

Introduction: Gongfu Black Tea: It is a unique black tea variety in my country and is also a traditional export commodity in my country. Currently, 19 provinces in my country produce tea (including Xinjiang and Tibet, the experimental areas), and 12 of them have successively produced Gongfu black tea.

At the end of Ming Dynasty and the beginning of Qing Dynasty, China invented the method of making black tea. Gongfu black tea is named "Gongfu" because of its fine workmanship.

According to tea tree varieties, Gongfu black tea can be divided into: large-leaf Gongfu (also known as red-leaf Gongfu) and small-leaf Gongfu (also known as black-leaf Gongfu). Historically, there was a distinction between South China Kung Fu and North China Kung Fu, with the Nanling Mountains as the north and south boundaries.

Gongfu black tea products are divided into three categories: genuine tea, supplementary tea, and foot tea. Genuine tea is divided into grade 1-7 Gongfu black tea, as well as broken tea, sliced ??tea, and powdered tea; supplementary tea includes supplementary slices, The auxiliary powder has the fragrance of flowers and the fragrance of flowers; the foot tea has tea stems, tea leaves, and fine powder (drinkable).

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the graded black tea and broken black tea produced were new products developed to adapt to the international tea market.

Gongfu black tea has a thin and tight shape, flat and even shape, dark color, bright red leaves, fragrant aroma and sweet taste. Due to different origins and tea tree varieties, "Gongfu Tea with Place Names" has different quality characteristics and unique flavor.

The following is a brief introduction to several representative Gongfu black teas

1. Qihong Gongfu

Qimen Gongfu black tea is a treasure of my country’s traditional Gongfu black tea. It has a production history of more than 100 years. Mainly produced in Qimen County, Anhui Province. Qihong Gongfu is famous for its beautiful appearance, "baoguang" color and rich aroma.

Qihong Gongfu tea sticks are tight and beautiful, with good front seedlings, jet black and grayish color, commonly known as "Baoguang". The internal aroma is rich and long, like honey, and contains the fragrance of orchids. The soup is red in color, has a mellow taste, has a lasting aftertaste, and the bottom of the leaves is tender, soft and bright red.

Keemun black tea has excellent quality and is known as the "most fragrant tea". This is inseparable from the superior natural ecological environment conditions in the Qimen area. The land is fertile, the humus content is high, and the temperature difference between morning and evening is large. There are often clouds and mist, and the sunshine time is short, which constitutes a natural environment for the growth of tea trees, resulting in the unique aroma and taste of "Qihong".

2. Dianhong Gongfu tea

Dianhong Gongfu tea is a large-leaf type. Gongfu tea is mainly produced in Lincang, Baoshan and other places in Yunnan. It is a rising star in the Gongfu black tea industry in my country. . It is unique in its plump and firm appearance, exposed golden hair and rich aroma and rich flavor.

The appearance of Dianhong Gongfu is tightly knotted, plump and majestic, the dry tea color is dark and moist, with prominent golden hair, the inner soup is bright in color, the aroma is fresh and long, the taste is rich and refreshing, and full of irritation , the bottom of the leaves are evenly red and bright.

The quality of Dianhong Gongfu changes seasonally due to different harvesting periods. Generally, spring tea is better than summer and autumn tea. Spring tea has plump strips, heavy body bones, good purity, and tender and even leaves at the bottom. Summer tea is in the rainy season, the buds and leaves grow quickly, and the internodes are long. Although the buds are exposed, the clarity is low, and the bottom of the leaves is slightly hard and mixed. Autumn tea is in the dry and cool season, and the growth and metabolism of the tea tree weakens. The finished tea is light in body, low in clarity, and not as tender as spring and summer tea.

One of the quality characteristics of Dianhong Gongfu is its exposed velvet hair. Its hair color can be divided into light yellow, chrysanthemum yellow, golden yellow and so on. Gongfu tea from Fengqing, Yunxian, Changning and other places, the hair color is mostly chrysanthemum yellow, while Gongfu tea from Menghai, Shuanggan, Lincang, Puwen and other places, the hair color is mostly golden. The hair color of the tea picked in the same tea garden in spring is generally lighter, mostly light yellow, while the hair color of summer tea is mostly chrysanthemum yellow, but the hair color of autumn tea is mostly golden yellow.

Dianhong Gongfu has a rich aroma and rich flavor. The aroma is best in Yunxian, Fengqing and Changning tea areas in western Yunnan, especially the Gongfu tea produced in parts of Yunxian County, which has a long and floral aroma. Gongfu tea from the southern Yunnan tea area has a strong flavor and strong irritation, while Gongfu tea from the western Yunnan tea area has a mellow taste, slightly less irritation, but a refreshing aftertaste.

3. Minhong Gongfu

Minhong Gongfu tea is the collective name for Zhenghe Gongfu, Tanyang Gongfu and Bailin Gongfu, all of which are specialties of Fujian. The three types of Gongfu tea have different origins, different varieties, and different quality styles, but each has its own consumer enthusiasts and has been flourishing for hundreds of years.

1. Zhenghe Gongfu

Zhenghe Gongfu is divided into two types: big tea and small tea.

Dacha series is made from Zhenghe Dabai tea, which is the top grade of the three major Fujian red Gongfu teas. The appearance is tight and fat, the color is dark and lustrous, the inner substance is red and thick, the aroma is high and sweet, the taste is rich, and the bottom of the leaf is Fat, strong and red. Small tea is made from small-leaf seeds. It has thin and tight strings and a fragrance like Qihong, but it is not as long-lasting. The soup is slightly lighter, the taste is mellow, and the bottom of the leaves is evenly red.

2. Tanyang Gongfu

Tanyang Gongfu is widely distributed and is mainly produced in Fu'an, Tuorong, Shouning, Zhouning, Xiapu and northern Pingnan.

Tanyang Gongfu has a slender and even appearance with pekoe, a glossy black color, a fresh and sweet aroma inside, a bright and golden soup, and a smooth red leaf base. Among them, the Gongfu tea produced in the Tanyang, Shouning and Zhouning mountainous areas has a mellow aroma and thicker strips. The Gongfu tea produced in the Xiapu area near the sea in the southeast is bright in color and beautiful in shape.

3. Bailin Gongfu

Bailin Gongfu is produced in the Bailin and Hulin areas of Taimu Mountain in Fuding County. It is a small-leaf black tea. 1850s. Fujian and Guangzhou tea merchants were engaged in processing Gongfu tea in Fuding. They harvested red tea from Bailin, Cuijiao, Huanggang, Hulin, Pingyang, Taishun and other places in Zhejiang, and concentrated the processing in Bailin. Bailin Gongfu came from this. born.

Bailin Gongfu black tea has a slender and curved appearance, and the hair is mostly in the shape of granular pompoms. It is yellow-black and shiny in color. After brewing, the aroma is pure and fragrant, and the taste is fresh and sweet; the soup color is light and bright. ; The bottom of the leaves is bright red with yellow, and it is durable for brewing.

4. Sichuan Red Gongfu

Sichuan Red Gongfu is produced in Yibin and other places in Sichuan Province. It is a Gongfu black tea produced in the 1950s. Chuanhong Gongfu has a plump, round and tight appearance, a golden look, a jet-black and oily color, and a distinct aroma of caramel in its internal aroma, which is its quality characteristic. Ze.

Because the Yibin area is located in the Sichuan Basin and has unique climate characteristics, with good temperature, light, water and gas conditions, Chuanhong has the outstanding characteristics of early mining, tender and even buds, and excellent quality.

5. Yihong Gongfu

Yihong Gongfu is produced in Yichang and Enshi in the mountainous areas of western Hubei. Neighboring counties such as Shimen, Sangzhi and Cili in western Hunan also have some production.

Yihong Gongfu has a tight and thin appearance with golden hair, a dark color, a pure and sweet aroma, a mellow and fresh taste, a bright red soup, and a bright red and soft leaf base. The phenomenon of "turbidity" occurs when the tea soup is slightly cold. It is one of the best quality Gongfu black teas in my country.

6. Xianghong Gongfu

Xianghong Gongfu is the collective name for Hunan Gongfu black tea. Because Anhua is one of the earliest counties in Hunan to promote black tea production, the local production of black tea is large. With good quality, it is well-known at home and abroad and enjoys the glorious title of "Huhong" representative. The Gongfu tea produced in Shimen, Cili, Sangzhi, Dayong and other counties and cities in western Hunan is called "Xianghong" and falls into the category of "Yihong Gongfu".

Huhong Gongfu is represented by Anhua Gongfu. It has a tight and plump appearance, high aroma, mellow taste, thick soup color, and slightly darker red leaves. Pingjiang Gongfu is fragrant, but not uniform. The ones produced in the area of ??Changshou Street and Dawei Mountain in Liuyang have high aroma and thick flavor (close to Xiushui, Jiangxi, and are classified as Ninghong Gongfu). Lower, Lianyuan Gongfu is a newly developed tea with tight and thin lines and lighter fragrance. ;