May 1966: Chinese students are first encouraged to leave the classroom, actively fight capitalist tendencies, and go out among the masses. In the decade that followed the "May 16th Notification," more than 100,000 of them would be among the "sent-down youth" stationed in Yunnan, planting rubber, tropical fruit, grain, and tea. This red tea sampler has been designed in commemoration of these now-retired revolutionaries' contribution to Chinese tea.
In this Dianhong Sampler, you will receive Five Teas and one Antique Quote Card:
6 grams Single Bush Dianhong (Fengqing County)
6 grams China Red Dianhong (Fengqing County)
6 grams Nuowu Shaihong (Shuangjiang County)
6 grams Baka Shaihong (Shuangjiang County)
25 grams Gongfu Dianhong (Fengqing County)
These 49 grams of tea should be enough for 1-2 infusions of each tea, and at least five infusions of the much finer (and stronger) Gongfu Dianhong. Like with our Liubao sampler box, double portions are available. Each sampler will come in a specially designed box, and include one of the Antique Quote Cards from the Little Red Book pictured here. The first wave of revolutionary youth would have carried these paper and plastic cards up to their new mountain homes.
This box has been designed to give you a comprehensive taste of red teas that Yunnan has to offer. Dianhong is a catch-all term that can encompass any red tea grown in the Province.
Our Single Bush tea from the Luyuan Company represents the flavor that only older heirloom bushes in Fengqing County can provide. Like most "Ancient Tree" red teas, it has a lighter, sweeter, more woody profile than a standard Dianhong. This particular bush offers a uniquely vegetal, almost olive-like savory note that is hard to place.
In contrast, our "China Red" from the Yang Family, is a rich, chocolatey, and floral red tea that showcases the modern direction that local blended red teas have developed towards. It is made with a combination of heirloom qiaomu material and imported cultivars like Meizhan and Zijuan.
The Gongfu Dianhong is the local tea equivalent of the "colonel's original recipe." This is a crisper and more energizing tea made with locally developed cultivars. Always consistent, it is still produced by the state-owned network of over a hundred different growing sites and processing facilities. Today, it is the closest you can get to the initial version of Yunnan red tea invented by Feng Youqin and his team in the 1930's.
At the other end of Yunnan's Lincang Municipality, in Shuangjiang County, we found two sun-dried teas, aka Shaihong. This county was the site of a major state-run farm worked by sent-down youth in the 1970's and is today the home of Bingdao Puer Tea. The teas we bought from Baka Village and Nuowu Village both belong to the same terroir region as Bingdao Puer. In this sampler, the late Spring 2025 Baka sample is robust and woody in profile; the fresher 2026 Nuowu sample has a sugary, almost marshmallow aroma and lighter body. Both will continue to mellow as they age.
Watch the video below for a glimpse into Dianhong production.
This is hands down my favorite tea in my pantry. I drink it almost daily. I love how savory and smooth the soup is while still maintaining its depth and thickness.
