Global Hongcha

This black from Yunnan, China offers a distinctive drinking experience. This 2020 Arbor Red offers an intriguing profile with its herbaceous fragrance and distinct, almost medicinal undertones. A grounding sweetness balances the complex flavors, leading to a truly heavy-b. It sits in the "Herbaceous" and "Medicinal" and "Sweet" flavor families, so expect a cup that leans herbaceous and medicinal and sweet.

Aim for water around 90–100 °C (195–212 °F). Western style: steep for 3–5 minutes in a mug or teapot. Gongfu style: use 5 g per 100 ml, 15–30 s infusions for multiple short steeps — this way you can taste how the flavor evolves. Most black teas can handle a full rolling boil, so don't overthink the water temperature.

This black is grown in Yunnan, China and is made from the Da Ye Zhong cultivar. This particular batch comes from the 2020 harvest.

Prices start at $12.60 through white2tea — that works out to about $0.42 per gram. A 25g package gives you roughly 4 gongfu sessions at ~6 g each, which puts each session at around $2.52. You can compare prices across all vendors carrying this tea on the Teadar product page.