Chinese Black Tea (Red Tea): Keemun, Dian Hong, Lapsang and More

What the West calls black tea, China calls red tea: hong cha (红茶), named after the red colour of the liquor rather than the dark leaf. It's the fully oxidized category of Chinese tea: the leaves are withered, rolled, left to oxidize for a few hours and dried, with no kill-green step. The most famous Chinese red teas are Keemun from Anhui, Dian Hong from Yunnan, Lapsang Souchong (Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong) from Fujian, the oldest of them all, and the bud-only Jin Jun Mei. They taste sweet and round, with notes of honey, malt, cocoa, dried fruit and sometimes orchid or smoke. Brew them at 90–95 °C with short gongfu steeps, or 2–3 minutes in a mug.

I'll admit the naming confused me for an embarrassingly long time. The first time a Chinese tea seller offered me "black tea", I expected something like English breakfast and got a dark, earthy pu-erh-like brick tea instead. That's because in China, "black tea" (hei cha) is a completely different category. What I actually wanted was hong cha. Once that clicked, a whole world opened up: Chinese red teas are some of the sweetest, most forgiving and most comforting teas there are.

They're also the teas I pour when I want something easy. My study sessions are sheng pu-erh and Wuyi oolong, but on a cold morning in Slovenia, a pot of Keemun or Dian Hong is my default.

Red tea or black tea?#

It's the same tea. Chinese names describe the colour of the brewed tea: a clear, bright red. European traders named it after the dry leaf, which is dark. So:

You'll see	What it means
Black tea (in English)	Chinese hong cha, red tea
Red tea, hong cha (红茶)	The same fully oxidized tea
Hei cha (黑茶), "black tea" in Chinese	Dark, post-fermented tea like Liu Bao and Fu brick: see dark tea
Rooibos, "red bush tea"	A South African herbal infusion, not tea at all

On this site I use "red tea" for hong cha and always say "dark tea" for hei cha.

How Chinese red tea is made#

1. Withering. The leaves lose a good part of their moisture and become soft.
2. Rolling. The leaves are rolled to break cell walls and release their juices.
3. Oxidation. The rolled leaf rests in warm, humid air for a few hours and turns copper-red.
4. Drying. The tea is dried down to low moisture so it keeps.

There's no kill-green step, unlike green tea or oolong, so nothing stops oxidation halfway. In Fujian the whole cycle from fresh leaf to finished red tea takes around a day. For how this compares with the other five categories, see types of Chinese tea.

The famous Chinese red teas#

Tea	Region	What makes it special	Taste
Keemun (Qimen Hong Cha, 祁红)	Qimen county, Anhui; slopes of Huangshan, 800–1,200 m	Made since 1875, when Yu Ganchen brought Fujian red tea methods to Qimen; won a top award at the 1915 San Francisco exposition	Orchid, plum, honey, a light winey note; elegant, medium body
Dian Hong (滇红)	Yunnan	Large-leaf bushes; lots of golden buds	Malt, cocoa, sweet potato, honey; full-bodied
Lapsang Souchong / Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong (正山小种)	Wuyi, Fujian	The oldest red tea; the export style is smoked over pine	Smoked: pine resin, campfire. Unsmoked: longan, honey
Jin Jun Mei (金骏眉)	Wuyi, Fujian	Buds only; the golden down gives the name "Golden Eyebrows"	Honey, flowers, sweet potato; very delicate
Tan Yang Gongfu (坦洋)	Northern Fujian	One of Fujian's classic gongfu red teas	Floral and honeyed
Hei Jin ("Black Gold")	Fujian	Dark, bold style	Spice and chocolate
Guangdong reds (e.g. Tian Di Hong)	Guangdong	A newer style made from oolong bushes, fully oxidized	Bright, aromatic, oolong-like

If you're starting out: Dian Hong for body and sweetness, Keemun for elegance and aroma, unsmoked Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong for honeyed softness, and Jin Jun Mei when you want something special.

Signs of a good Chinese red tea#

Using Keemun as the textbook example, good red tea shows:

• Dry leaf: fine, tightly rolled, even, with a glossy sheen; golden tips where the style has them.
• Liquor: clear, bright red with a golden ring at the edge of the cup.
• Taste: sweet and round, with no harsh bitterness even in later steeps.
• Spent leaf: supple, evenly coppery and shiny.
• Endurance: ordinary red teas give around 7 good gongfu steeps; the best go to 10–14.

How to brew Chinese red tea#

Gongfu#

Style	Leaf / 100 ml	Water	Rinse	1st steep	Then	Steeps
Keemun, Dian Hong	2–4 g	90–95 °C	No	5–10 s	+5 s	7 (best 10–14)
Jin Jun Mei and other bud teas	2–4 g	85–90 °C	No	10 s	+5 s	7 (best 10–14)
Smoked Lapsang	2–4 g	95 °C	No	10 s	+5 s	7 (best 10–14)

Full chart: gongfu brewing chart.

In a mug or teapot#

About 2–3 g per 250 ml, water just off the boil (a little cooler for bud teas), 2–3 minutes. Red tea is the easiest Chinese tea to brew Western-style, and many take milk well, especially Dian Hong and smoked Lapsang. More on the two methods in gongfu vs western.

Cold brew#

Red teas make excellent iced tea: about 2 teaspoons per litre of cold water, 8–12 hours in the fridge. See cold brew tea.

My side-by-side: Keemun vs Dian Hong#

If Dian Hong is a warm sweater, Keemun is a good wool coat: both warm, one more elegant.

Caffeine and when to drink it#

Red tea has a normal amount of caffeine for a true tea. There's no simple rule that it has more or less than green tea; it depends much more on the leaf and how you brew it. Bud-heavy teas like Jin Jun Mei and golden-tip Dian Hong can be quite lively. In traditional Chinese thinking, red tea is a "warming" tea for the cold season and the first half of the day, which matches how I drink it.

How to store red tea#

In an airtight, opaque container, somewhere cool and dark, away from strong smells. Red tea is more stable than green tea and keeps well for up to about three years, though it's brightest in the first year. Keep smoked Lapsang away from other teas: the smoke travels.

Myths about Chinese red tea#

"Chinese black tea is the same as hei cha." No. Hei cha, literally "black tea" in Chinese, is post-fermented dark tea. The Western "black tea" is hong cha.

"Black tea has much more caffeine than green tea." Not as a rule. Leaf, amount and brewing matter more than colour.

"Keemun is fermented for weeks." Red tea oxidizes for hours, not weeks.

"All Lapsang is smoky." Many of the best Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong are unsmoked.

My honest take#

If you drink English breakfast tea, Chinese red tea is the easiest bridge into Chinese tea. Start with a good Dian Hong and a Keemun side by side, brewed gongfu, and you'll taste in five minutes how much more there is in the cup than in a teabag.

The bottom line#

Chinese black tea is red tea: fully oxidized, sweet, round and forgiving. Keemun, Dian Hong, Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong and Jin Jun Mei are the four to know. Brew at 90–95 °C, keep steeps short, and don't confuse it with hei cha.

FAQ#

What is Chinese black tea?#

Fully oxidized tea, called hong cha (red tea) in China. Famous examples are Keemun, Dian Hong, Lapsang Souchong and Jin Jun Mei.

Why do the Chinese call black tea red tea?#

Chinese names describe the colour of the brewed tea, which is red. Western names describe the dark dry leaf.

What is the best Chinese black tea for beginners?#

Dian Hong for its malty sweetness, or Keemun for a lighter, more aromatic cup. Both are forgiving.

Is Keemun or Dian Hong better?#

Neither: Keemun is lighter and more floral, Dian Hong fuller and maltier. Try both side by side.

How do you brew Chinese black tea?#

Gongfu: about 2–4 g per 100 ml at 90–95 °C, first steep 5–10 seconds. Western: 2–3 g per 250 ml, 2–3 minutes.

Is hei cha a black tea?#

In Chinese, yes: hei cha means "black tea". But it's a different category, the post-fermented dark teas, not what the West calls black tea.