2026 Q4 (October–December) Tea Club open · Join before November 16
← All Club teas
Feng Qing Shai Hong (2021 Spring)

Feng Qing Shai Hong (2021 Spring)

MyTeaPal Club

Type
Black Tea
Origin
Fengqing County, Yunnan Province, China
Cultivar
Lao Pin Zhong (aka. Qun Ti Zhong)
Elevation
~2200m
Steeping instructions
90-95˚C / 194-203˚F Gongfu style: 1g : 25ml, 5-10s for 3 infusions, then increment by desired intensity Western style: 1g : 80ml, 2min + 1min per infusion Bowl style: 1g : 80ml Cold Brew: 1g : 150ml, 2+hrs
Description
Shai Hong (lit. sun-dried red) is a kind of black tea from Yunnan made from these steps: withering, rolling, fermentation, and drying under the sun. Different from Dian Hong that is dried with tea baking machines, Shai Hong is baked with a lower temperature and its humidity is kept at a slightly higher level, allowing its enzymes and other compounds to transform the flavor as it ages. This is a traditionally processed Shai Hong from Yunnan black tea’s birthplace Fengqing county. The cultivar is known as Lao Pin Zhong, literally meaning old varieties, which is mostly a mix of wild tea trees like Feng Qing Da Ye Zhong and Meng Ku Da Ye Zhong planted by seeds since the 1950s. Before 1939, Fengqing only produced raw materials leaf tea known as maocha, which would be compressed into sheng puerh tea. Due to the continuous wars happening in China in the 1930s, a few tea experts were delegated by the state to develop China’s southwest tea regions, so that China could maintain its tea production and international trade. In the spring of 1939, the newly formed Shunning Tea Factory (renamed Fengqing Tea Factory in 1954) succeeded in making black tea using Yunnan’s big leaf tea varietal. At that time, tea producers would dry tea leaves when it is sunny in order to save cost. But after sun-drying, those leaves would then be baked over a machine and made into Dian Hong. Therefore, to some veteran tea producers in Fengqing, Shai Hong is considered a semi-finished product of Dian Hong. However, as puerh tea exploded in popularity, Shai Hong also gained more recognition in the tea market because it can be aged. Some Shai Hong products are compressed cakes like sheng puerh cakes, but this is a loose leaf one from spring 2021.

Shipped in July 2023

Member posts