Wuyi Black Tea

Wuyi Black Tea

Wuyi black tea is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Legend has it that in 17th-century England, the first thing the queen did every morning after waking up was to brew a cup of “Zhengshan Xiaozhong” black tea. The English word “bohea” refers to Wuyi black tea. The famous 18th-century British romantic poet Byron also wrote in his renowned poem *Don Juan*: “I will have recourse to black tea from the Wuyi Mountains / Alas, that wine is so harmful / For tea and coffee make us more serious.”

　　　　This shows that as early as several centuries ago, Wuyi black tea was truly the quintessential name for black tea.

　　　　A look back at history reveals further evidence. Wang Guo’an wrote in his book *Tea and Chinese Culture*: “The earliest production of black tea in China began with the small-leaf variety from Tongmuguan, Wuyi Mountain, Fujian.” Mr. Hu Yongfei of Wuyi Black Tea Industry Co., Ltd. said that the black tea produced in Tongmuguan, Wuyi Mountain, is known as “Zhengshan Xiaozhong” black tea. The term “Zhengshan” indicates that it is produced in a high mountain region.

　　　　There is also “Waishan Xiaozhong,” or small-leaf black tea produced in places such as Zhenghe, Tanyang, Beiling, Pingnan, Gutian, Sha County, and Yanshan in Jiangxi, which imitates the Zhengshan variety. Its quality is inferior to that of “Zhengshan Xiaozhong” and is collectively referred to as “Waishan Xiaozhong” or “artificial Xiaozhong.” “One of the world’s four great black teas, Qimen black tea from Anhui, was successfully produced in 1876 using Fujian’s black tea production method. It is indeed true that all the world’s black teas originate from Wuyi,” said Hu Yongfei, a young man from a family with a long history of tea-making in Wuyi Mountain, speaking with pride.

　　○ Essence of Heaven and Earth – “Yihong” Tea

　　　　The name “Yihong” is derived from the abbreviation of Wuyi black tea, emphasizing that Wuyi Mountain black tea is the originator of world black tea. Hu Yongfei said: “Wuyi black tea takes ‘Zhengshan Xiaozhong’ as its orthodox variety.” The production area of Zhengshan Xiaozhong is located in Tongmuguan Nature Reserve, Wuyi Mountain, specifically in the regions of Tongping, Jiangdun, and Miaowan. As Tongmuguan is situated at the foot of Huanggang Mountain, where the borders of Fujian and Jiangxi meet, it is shrouded in clouds and mist year-round, with abundant rainfall and a mild climate. Especially during the spring tea season, frequent rainy days result in very little sunlight, so the fresh tea leaves picked here mostly require heated withering, which involves baking with fuel. The area has many pine trees, and the fuel used for burning is pine wood. The burning of pine wood leaves behind a strong pine smoke flavor, so the fresh leaves absorb plenty of pine resin aroma during withering. During the drying process, the fermented tea leaves are spread on bamboo sieves, placed on hanging racks to air-dry or bake, and further roasted below with burning pine wood, allowing the tea to absorb even more pine resin aroma. The finished Zhengshan Xiaozhong tea leaves are characterized by their plump, tightly rolled, straight, and glossy dark appearance. The tea liquor is brownish-red, with a rich and mellow longan-like taste.

　　　　Wuyi Black Tea Industry Co., Ltd. hopes to inherit and promote Wuyi black tea through “Yihong.” This is also an important reason for participating in the Fujian Week of the World Expo this time. “People in Wuyi have their own standards for tea quality. After the recent disaster in the Wuyi tea region, the Wuyi City government quickly issued a *Notice* to all local tea farmers, tea enterprises, and distributors, strictly prohibiting the picking, processing, or sale of contaminated fresh leaves or flood-soaked tea. Our company naturally responded actively,” said Hu Yongfei. Over 300 years ago, the Hu family ancestors had already settled in Tongmuguan, producing the world’s earliest black tea—Zhengshan Xiaozhong—using ancestral techniques. “Our family tree still preserves a 17th-century map that records the history of the ‘Yihong Tea Workshop.’”

　　　　The current Wuyi Black Tea Industry Co., Ltd. is still located in Tanxizhou, Tongmuguan, Wuyi Mountain National Nature Reserve, at an altitude of 1,050 meters, surrounded by mountains. At its entrance stand three-thousand-year-old yew trees and eight towering cryptomeria trees. The Tanxi River meanders through the area, and among the dense forests and deep valleys are scattered century-old wild small-leaf tea bushes. Every day, at the origin of the tea, using ancestral techniques and traditional methods, they meticulously produce organic black tea with the unique charm of Wuyi Mountain—“Yihong.”