Core technology of quality shaping of Yunnan black tea

YuanJia131

Dian Hong tea is a type of fermented tea. The production process of Dian Hong involves two stages from harvesting to finished product: initial processing and refinement. It is made from fresh leaves of the Yunnan large-leaf tea plant, with the entire process primarily carried out manually, which gives Dian Hong tea its unique and superior product advantages.

After undergoing four processing steps—wilting, rolling, fermentation, and drying—the fresh leaves of Gongfu black tea are referred to as raw tea. Raw tea serves as the foundation for producing high-quality tea products. Without excellent fresh leaf raw materials and scientific processing techniques, it is difficult to achieve superior raw tea quality. Conversely, without superior raw tea quality, it is equally challenging to produce outstanding Dian Hong (Yunnan black tea) products.

To improve the quality of Dian Hong tea, the foundation lies in the fresh tea leaves, with moderate withering as the prerequisite, thorough rolling as the key, balanced fermentation as the core, and two drying processes as the guarantee—collectively known as the "Five Gates of Primary Processing." Each gate in the primary processing must be interconnected and seamlessly linked, as all processes are interdependent, mutually connected, and influence each other as a whole. Only by ensuring every gate is properly executed can high-quality products be produced. Failing to meet the standards at any one gate will affect the next, resulting in subpar quality or even inferior products.

Therefore, assessing tea leaves, mastering the techniques flexibly, and handling them scientifically are essential to ensuring the quality of the five key stages. The initial processing of raw tea leaves is a critical phase where physical and chemical transformations occur, shaping the fresh leaves into finished tea products. The technical proficiency during this stage determines the quality of the final tea products, as deficiencies in this process cannot be compensated for in subsequent refining stages.