Ying De Hong
Legends say, that black tea was discovered in China, when a few leaves of tea plant fell in a pot of boiling water. The Emperor enjoyed the taste of the brew, and thus it became a part of everyday life.
This black tea, Ying de Hong is from Yingde, Guangdong province in China, first produced in 1959 mechanically. It is one of the very few black teas to come from this region. It is also called Guangdong Black and Ying Hong. It tastes good and has the aroma of cocoa with a sweet aftertaste. The best variety is Ying Hong Number 9 and it is mostly exported. Some of the quality varieties look similar to Oolong.
Ying de Hong blends well with condensed milk and has an appearance which is dark, slightly curled golden brown tea leaves. The infusion produces many cups of amber-colored beverage which is quite bright.
Though the method of production varies from region to region, the process basically involves 4 common steps: withering, rolling, fermentation and firing. The orthodox method produces larger particles and the plucked leaves are spread out to wither till they are limp and are rolled without splitting the leaf. The finer varieties are withered in shade. The leaves give out a fruity apple like odor. These leaves are rolled to release the chemicals inside the leaf which is very important for the final color and flavoring. Though this process is done by hand in some places, in most cases Rotor vane machines are used to crush the leaves lightly. These rolled lumps are then broken and spread in cool and humid place for about 3-4 hours causing a chemical change in the leaves turning them from green to a coppery red color. Lastly, the oxidized-fermented leaves are fired to capture the natural decomposition and, the particles turn black acquiring their recognizable tea smell during this stage. Traditionally firing was carried out in large pans placed over open fires and this method is still continued in some factories. However most producers today pass the tea through hot air tunnels or bake it in hot ovens.
There are different varieties of Chinese black tea. A black tea, called Lapsang, is produced around Mount Wuyi, in Fujian Province of China and has a strong smoky flavor, as it is dried over burning pine. Keemun is another famous Chinese black tea and it is produced in Qimen in the province of Anhui. Keemun tea has a fruity aroma and a hint of pine, dried plum and floweriness. If you want black tea with a dark malty taste, then taste the Dian Hong variety, produced in Yunnan province of China. For cocoa like aroma and sweet aftertaste Ying De Hong is the tea, to be drunk. A Tibetan variety of black tea is from Sichuan province and is referred to as ‘brick tea’.
Black tea is the tea most people know, as in all likelihood they grew up dipping tea bags of black tea in their cups. Since it is fully fermented, it has 20% of the caffeine in a cup approximately. The absorption of cholesterol into the blood stream is prevented by the consumption of black tea, which helps to prevent heart disease. Prevention of gingivitis, tooth decay, and helping regular blood sugar level and blood pressure is known from the usage of this tea.
- Ramyajit Gupta
Tags: china, guangdong, keemun, lapsang, ying de hong, ying hong, yingde
Related Posts:Related Posts
Leave a Comment
