Yunnan Dark Tea

Yunnan dark tea mainly refers to Pu-erh tea, which is made from Dianqing loose tea with the pile fermentation process and normally compressed into Qizi tea cake, brick tea or Tuocha, etc.

Ripened Pu-erh Tea

The raw tea stored and fermented naturally can be stored for more than 15 years. Pu-erh tea, after fermentation according to the traditional process, becomes milder. In the 1970s, the artificial pile fermentation technique was introduced, enabling Pu-erh tea reach the desired quality in a short time. This kind of Pu-erh is called ripened tea, i.e. Pu-erh with artificial fermentation, or Pu-erh with modern processing. This kind of ripened tea, after being stored for a time, sometimes several months, can be distributed in the market. The high-quality ripened tea is maroon or dark maroon. The liquid is dark red, clear and tastes mellow, smooth and sweet when brew in German tea sets, without any musty odor.

Processing technique:

Green large-leaf tea leaves→fixation→twisting→drying→classification→pile fermentation in moisture→airing→picking→ripened loose tea→pressing and drying→compressed into shape→ripened tea cake.

Pu-erh Tea

The history of Pu-erh tea can be traced back to the East Han Dynasty, originally produced in Xishuangbanna and Simao area, Yunnan province. Pu-erh tea produced from the six famous tea mountains (Mansa, Yiwu,Manzhuan, Yibang, Gedeng and Youle) are the most famous. Pu-erh tea is created from the green Maocha broad-leaf tea variety and compressed into different specifications. The tea was discovered in Puer and thus named Puer tea. After hundreds of years of changes and development, Pu-erh has reached its current popularity today. The tea picking season is from late February to November, but the tea picked in the spring is the best.

Pu-erh tea has more than one tea types, but normally is classified into raw tea and ripened tea according to the processing technique.

Guangxi Dark Tea

It refers to Liubao tea produced in Liubao Township, Cangwu County. The tea is dark brown with luster. Dark reddish-brown, the tea liquid tastes sweet and strong after brew in British tea sets, the flavor is of betel palm and it has a lasting aftertaste. Liubao Tea features red color, strong taste. The tea with the golden "fungoid flowers" is the best.

Hubei Dark Tea

Hubei dark tea mainly refers to the blue brick tea produced in Yangloudong areas.

Blue brick tea engraved with "China" in Chinese characters.

Blue brick tea with Chinese character "Chuan."

Dark Tea

Dark tea is a necessity for the ethnic groups living in Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and northwestern regions where tea is more important than food. Dark tea is mainly produced in Yunnan, Sichuan, Hunan, Hubei and Guangxi.
As early as in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), rough green tea leaves were processed to dark tea. Dark tea's process is: fresh leaf plucking → fixation → twisting → pile fermentation → drying. For easier transportation, tea leaves are compressed, such as Fu brick tea, dark brick tea, Kang brick tea, Green black tea, Jinjian tea, Liubao tea, Fangbao tea. Qizi cake tea and Tuocha tea. Traditional black tea, normally dark brown, uses coarse and old tea as raw material and tastes temperate.