Yunnan Black Tea

Yunnan Black Tea

Yunnan black tea (云南红茶, Yún Nán Hóng Chá) also called Dian Hong tea is a kind of Chinese black tea and belongs to Gongfu black tea. It is native to Yunnan Province. Dian is a shortened form of Yunnan Province and Hong means “red”. Another famous tea from Yunnan Province is Pu-erh tea.

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History of Yunnan Black Tea

In 1937, two people went to Yunnan Province to observe and investigate the production and sales of tea. They found that some mountains in Yunnan had natural conditions suitable for growing tea trees, so they began to grow tea trees and tried to invent a new black tea.

The period of trial production of black tea was a hard time. Since there was no such convenient transportation at that time, the machinery and equipment could not be transported to the production area. The machinery must be disassembled into parts and transported on horseback, which took half a month to go back and forth.

Until 1939, through their efforts, they succeeded in trail production. The finished tea leaves are plump. Its tea liquid is red and bright, with a strong fragrance.

The first batch of Yunnan black tea was shipped to Hong Kong for sale and welcomed by the tea customers. Since then, the production of Yunnan black tea has been developing year by year.

Growth Environment of Yunnan Black Tea

Yunnan Province is located in the southwest of China. It has a subtropical climate, with an average annual temperature of 18-22℃ and a large temperature difference between day and night.

The forest here is dense. The withered grass and leaves form a deep humus layer, so the soil is fertile, which makes the tea tree tall, the buds and leaves strong. Especially, the content of polyphenols and alkaloids in the tea leaves is high.

According to the geographical location, the tea production areas of Yunnan Province include three areas: Dian Xi (West of Yunnan), Dian Nan (South of Yunnan), and Dian Dongbei (Northeast of Yunnan). Yunnan black tea is produced in Dian Xi and Dian Nan.

Characteristics of Yunnan Black Tea

Yunnan black tea is made from the fresh leaves of Yunnan larger-leaf tea trees through withering, rolling, fermenting, baking, and other processes.

After brewing, the color of the tea liquid is bright and red; the fragrance is fresh; the taste is strong. Yunnan black tea is characterized by thick, strong, and fresh. A unique characteristic is that the golden circle is often seen at the contact between tea liquid and teacup.

Yunnan black tea also includes broken black tea, which is made by chopping or cutting the Yunnan black tea into granule or powder.

Benefits of Yunnan Black Tea

  • Detox
  • Diuretic
  • Refresh
  • Anti-aging
  • Anti-cancer
  • Help digestion
  • Antibacterial
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Lower blood sugar
  • Lower blood lipids

According to experiments, theophylline in black tea can adsorb heavy metals and alkaloids.

Under the combined action of caffeine and aromatic substances in Yunnan black tea, it can increase the blood flow of the kidney, increase the glomerular filtration rate, expand the renal microvessels, and inhibit the reabsorption of water by the renal tubules, thus contributing to an increase in urine output.

The catechins in Yunnan black tea can combine with single-cell bacteria to coagulate and precipitate its proteins, thereby inhibiting and eliminating pathogenic bacteria. In Chinese folk, people often use black tea to treat wounds, bedsores, and athlete’s feet.

Medical experiments have found that caffeine in black tea can stimulate the nerve center by stimulating the cerebral cortex, promotes refreshment and concentration of thinking, thus making the thinking response more keen and enhancing memory.