This hand picked tea is made from one bud and one leaf of the Yunnan larger leaf variety of the tea trees. After picking it is processed by hand using the traditional “Gongfu” processing techniques, and then fully oxidised (fermented). While not containing as much caffeine as coffee, its moderate caffeine and lively taste is perfect to give you a good boost to get you started in the morning.
Brief Health Info
Being a fully oxidised – or fermented – black tea, Dian Hong does not have the same level of antioxidants that our White and Green teas have, however it is still a good source of these and so will also help reduce the risk of cancers and lessen the affects of aging. Black teas such as our Dian Hong also are considered to help prevent tooth decay and help lower your cholesterol levels.
For more information on the health benefits of TeaVivre's Black Teas, see our article on Tea Health benefit.
How to make Dian Hong black tea
Dian Hong is best brewed in a Purple-sand or porcelain tea set. One to two teaspoons of leaves should be used for each cup of tea. It should be brewed in water that is around 205 ºF (95 ºC) for 2 to 3 minutes. Dian Hong can be brewed 12 times depending on your taste, with an additional minute being added to the steeping each time.
Be careful with this tea to not overbrew it, as you will then loose much of the complex, subtle rich tastes that are its highlights.
For more information on some of the skills and arts of brewing tea, check out our article on How To Make Tea.
Where is TeaVivre's Dian Hong black tea produced
Our Dian Hong black teas are produced by Fengqing which is located in the south of Dianxi Longitudinal valley, Fengqing is famous as the hometown of Yunnan black tea in Lincang and is one of the original places of tea in the world. In Fengqing lies a succession of mountains, which alternate with rivers. Fengqing has a long history of planting, producing and drinking tea. The Superfine Yunnan Dian Hong Black Tea was successfully produced in Fengqing in 1958, which then has a national reputation.
Introduction of the tea farmer
Mr Zhou Zhirong, who is an authentic Yunnan people, has been in tea business for more than 20 years. We deeply felt his insist of traditional tea process by communicating with him. He said: “Most of my time is spent on tea mountain. I think the most important is the essential quality inside the tea.” “There’s the best tea trees and best environment in Fengqing. What we need to do is to bring the natural of tea to all the tea lovers”.
Mr Zhou in his tea garden
History
Though black teas have been crafted in China for probably close to 2,000 years, the history of this particular type of black tea – Dian Hong – only stretches back about 100 years. Dian Hong was first crafted in the 1930's a man by the name of Feng Shaoqiu. The first batches of Dian Hong were instantly popular, and were exported through Hong Kong to England, where it became very much sought after due to its high price and favour with the Queen at the time, who preferred it – somewhat scandalously – to the in-favour Indian teas commonly drunk at that time.
Now Dian Hong has become one of the most respected and widely known types of Chinese black tea. Held in extremely high regard in China, it is often presented by the government there as gifts to visiting dignitaries.
Gaiwan 3oz
Tea: 5g
6 steeps: rinse,15s,25s,45s,1m10s,1m30s,2m
95ºC/205ºF
Teapot 8oz
Bailin Gongfu Black Tea
$9.90
Rating :
I received this tea as a sample along with the oolongs that I had ordered. I'm not much of a black tea drinker normally, but I didn't feel like coffee this morning so I gave this a try. Upon opening the bag I was greeted with a nice malty aroma which also smelled slightly sweet. I steeped in boiling water for 2 minutes. The tea was a bright reddish brown color and smelled of malt and baking bread. I was pleasantly surprised that this tea tasted smooth and malty and not astringent at all which is good, since I don't care much for astringency. The taste of raisin bread kind of hit the back of my tongue. I would buy this tea. It is tasty and a good value.
Rating :
For the price, this is a remarkable tea. It is very bold (again, without being bitter) and yields an impressive cup. I actually prefer it to the higher grades that Teavivre offers. It also beats out my previous favourite yunnan (from Davids Tea) in price and taste.
The leaves are not whole but are in decent shape for an affordable yunnan and there are some golden ones in there. The aroma is richly cocoa, very bold and present, with a sense of bitterness and maybe some malt.
I get some earthiness, some hay, some barn-like flavour that reminds me of a puerh (but in a good way). Not for the faint of heart, but not bitter or aggressive.
Rating :
I have been up since three. I could barely keep my eyes open at work. A friend battled colon cancer for a year and was declared cancer free. Now they say he has a spot on his lung and we are waiting for results. Two weeks from today I will be laid off forcing me into retirement with no insurance and less than half the income. I have no new job prospects on the horizon so I am having a little trouble with Fear Not. As gmathis said the other day, I know how the story ends, but can’t we just skip a few chapters?
I went to my drawer for a little comfort. I was looking for Golden Monkey black tea. When I saw this one I realized I haven’t had it in a long time. It was a great choice. While waiting for the water to heat I started noticing the leaf smell. It is like wheat and malt. Such a nice scent. The cup is so smooth. It is heavily malted with light cocoa notes. I notice today it is even slightly peppery. The malt and cocoa linger long after the sip is gone. It’s funny, not that long ago I had no idea what people meant when they said a tea was malty. I guess it is because I had never tried a tea like this before.
I am more impressed with this today by far than when I first tried it. This I believe is the least expensive version of Dian Hong that TeaVivre sells. I should check that before I say it I guess. Anyway, I think originally I thought it would taste more sweet potato and honey like Golden Tips. You tone those flavors way down into the background and crank the malt and you have this tea. The slight amount of rough edges at the back of the sip I think would even appeal to coffee drinkers. If you enjoy Chinese black tea and would like an everyday affordable version this would do nicely.
Thank you TeaVivre for helping to take my mind off the troubles of the day. Upping the rating.
This review was originally published on Steepster by K S on January 18, 2013. TeaVivre add this whole review here by getting permission from K S.
Rating :
This tea has a pretty strong flavor and aroma, earthy and it gets more subtle at the end of the sip, a bit more adstringent than i like, but still really enjoyable e affordable. For those who like black teas its definitely recommended.
Rating :
dry tea smells sweet initially with some spicyness or ripness beside it.
when i first drank this tea it reminded me a bit of an earl gray... like a really subtleness of the same flavor, the sweetness/mild spicyness comes through pretty well to the taste accompanied by a pretty heavy mouthfeel.
after a week or two of drinking i really took a liking to this tea, despite how much i hate earl gray, which this tea initially reminded me of.
overall this is probably one of my favorite teas, pretty shocking considering i only ordered this tea out of curiosity while i was getting some bailin gonfu(which i like a lot less than this tea)
4/5, maybe even 4.5/5 great tea, and great price.
Rating :
The dry leaf is very aromatic: woodsy, earthy, and like other Yunnan red teas I've had. It is mostly composed of small, dark, twisted leaves, with a few golden ones mixed in. The tea liquor has a light coppery color and a strong, characteristic Yunnan red tea aroma. The flavor is very sweet and malty; it had good flavor up through the third steeping and mild flavor even on the fifth (boiling, 10 minutes). The wet leaf has evenly colored, brown, medium-to-high grade CTC type leaves. This is a great value for the price (at under $2 / OZ). I really liked the flavor of this Yunnan red. I highly recommend this tea for those that love Yunnans and are looking for a very affordable everyday tea.
Rating :
Makes a perfect breakfast tea to drink in the morning. Also, even though it is cheap, I did not find anything disagreeable with the flavour.