Dianhong are red (we know as black) teas from Yunnan. More precisely, the area of Yunnan Province, which used to be called Dianxi. Therefore, the full name of Yunnan red tea is Dianxi Hong Cha, which in translation sounds like “Red tea from Dianxi”.
The raw material for the production of dianhong is Yunnan large-leaf tea plants, which have strong and juicy leaves. Sheng and Shu Pu-erh are made from the same raw materials.
Thanks to such raw materials, dianhong are incredibly fragrant and have a pronounced taste. Connoisseurs note in the taste melody the floral honeyness of the aroma and the pleasant velvety sweetness in the taste, pleasantly reminiscent of dried fruits.
The most popular varieties of Dianhong in terms of raw materials:
- Dianhong Mao Feng – “Fuzzy Peaks” – a bud and two leaves twisted lengthwise. The color of Dianhong Mao Feng’s infusion can be golden to red-brown.
- Jin Hao Dianhong – “Golden Fluff or Villi” is only a bud, or a bud and one leaf. Jin Hao Dianhong is completely covered with pile and has a golden color in the infusion. The taste is lighter, the aroma is subtle and refined.
- Dianhong Jin Zhen – “Gold Needles” – in the form of long thin needles. Here, as a rule, younger kidneys are present
- Dianhong Jin Lo – “Gold Spirals, or Snails, or Curls” – twisted in the form of spirals or small rings. It has a characteristic honey in the aroma.
- Gu Shu Dianhong – “Red tea from old trees”. Gu Shu Dianhong can have a more unusual taste, it can have pronounced herbal flavors, and sometimes it tastes like aged Shen Puer. They have a more noticeable effect on the physical condition, this is due to the rich variety of nutrients obtained from a more developed root system.
Tea from large-leaved, and even more so from old trees, is well stored for years. You can age them and watch how the taste changes. Unlike Sheng and Shu Pu-erhs, the taste of Dianhong becomes more transparent and light over the years, it does not always develop and become more complicated, but the impression of old red teas is still interesting.