Tea: China Red Dianhong (中国红-滇红)
Type: Red Tea
Harvest: April 2026
Region: Yunnan Province, Fengqing County, Luodang Township.
Producer: Yang Family (Dianyuan Workshop)
Tasting Notes: Malt Chocolate, Floral, Raspberry, Stonefruit.
This is a rich, chocolatey, and floral red tea that showcases the modern direction in which local blended red teas have developed. Whereas more orange, down-heavy, yam aroma red teas have become the predominant form of Dianhong in the 21st Century, this tea is a different beast altogether. Its glossy, jet-black color and thin needle shape make it appear closer to Hubei Province's Lichuanhong than any other Yunnan tea. This tea has been made with a combination of heirloom qiaomu material and newer cultivars like Meizhan and Zijuan. Like more traditional Dianhong, this tea has been oven-baked rather than sun-dried.
"China Red" first began in 2007 as a project to create a new premium version of Dianhong. Researchers at the Fengqing State Factory had finalized a recipe of 18 different cultivars by 2010. Yet, in the decade and a half that has passed since then, small workshops like Dianyuan have also crafted their own versions, each with a secret recipe and wild bushstock endemic to that particular section of Fengqing County. This is the best version that we tried.
You can enjoy this tea either conventionally in a mug of your choice or Gongfu style. This is a warming tea that pairs well with desserts.
