What is black tea? The main producing areas of black tea in China

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Black tea , originating from China, is the second most popular tea category in our country. It is named for the red color of its brewed tea infusion and tea leaves.

It belongs to the fully fermented tea category, meticulously crafted from tea leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant through typical processing steps such as withering, rolling, fermentation, and drying.

The quality characteristics of red tea with red soup and red leaves are primarily formed through the "fermentation" process.

Fermentation, in essence, involves the oxidation of originally colorless polyphenolic compounds in tea leaves under the catalytic action of polyphenol oxidase, resulting in the formation of red oxidative polymerization products (such as red tea pigments, theaflavins, and aromatic substances).

Some pigments are soluble in water, forming a reddish tea infusion when brewed, while others are insoluble and accumulate in the leaves, causing them to turn red.

Chinese black tea is primarily produced in mountainous and hilly regions of the tropics and subtropics, where weakly acidic soils with good drainage, high temperatures, and abundant rainfall provide optimal conditions for tea tree growth.

Tea-producing regions: the Southwest Tea Region, the South China Tea Region, the Jiangnan Tea Region, and the Jiangbei Tea Region, encompassing provinces (municipalities, autonomous regions) such as Anhui, Yunnan, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, and Taiwan.

High-quality: Superior production areas include Tongmuguan in Fujian's Mount Wuyi, Qimen in Anhui, Fengqing in Yunnan, Yibin in Sichuan, Yingde in Guangzhou, and Yixing in Jiangsu.