Tea offers a myriad of flavors and a unique aroma distinct from floral scents. Today, we introduce to you the five most fragrant Chinese teas. 1. The lingering fragrance of Tieguanyin Tieguanyin is considered the finest of oolong teas, characterized by its curled, plump, and round tea leaves, heavy and even in appearance, with a sand green color, resembling the head of a dragonfly, the body of a spiral, and the legs of a frog.
Scan the code to get a free tea lesson. After brewing, the tea has a golden, amber-like color with a naturally rich orchid fragrance, rich and sweet taste, and a long-lasting aftertaste, commonly referred to as having ‘Yunyun’. The aroma of Tieguanyin is high and lasting, known as ‘seven infusions with lingering fragrance’. The most enchanting aspect of Tieguanyin is its high and long-lasting orchid fragrance, which is a special tea fragrance similar to orchids, leaving a deep impression. Recent domestic and international research has shown that Anxi Tieguanyin contains the richest variety of aromatic components. Moreover, the proportion of medium and low boiling point aromatic components is significantly greater than that of oolong teas made from fresh leaves of other tea varieties. Thus, the unique aroma of Anxi Tieguanyin is pleasing and intoxicating; a cup of Tieguanyin immediately fills the room with fragrance as soon as the lid is lifted.2. The Supreme Fragrance Among All, Only Keemun Scent Keemun black tea, a historic Chinese tea, is a famous black tea specialty, abbreviated as Keemun, mainly produced in the Qimen County area of Anhui Province. The Keemun scent is a characteristic of Keemun quality, which is finely picked and carefully baked, referred to as ‘gongfu’, giving it a natural fragrance recognized internationally as the best high-aroma tea.
The Japanese call it rose fragrance, and the British call it ‘Keemun scent’. Keemun, along with Sri Lanka’s Ceylon black tea and India’s Darjeeling black tea, is known as the world’s three highest-aroma famous teas, with Keemun being particularly unique, only competing in quality with India’s Darjeeling black tea. The finished Keemun black tea has a tight and delicate tea shape, a dark and moist color, visible golden tips, a bright red soup color, a fresh and mellow taste, and a long-lasting, refreshing, and unique aroma. The ‘Keemun scent’, resembling flowers, fruits, and honey, is world-renowned and ranks first among the world’s three highest-aroma famous teas. 3. The Overwhelming Fragrance of Biluochun Biluochun, a treasured Chinese tea, is known for its beautiful shape, bright color, rich aroma, and mellow taste, known as the ‘four uniques’. It is produced in Dongting Mountain, Taihu Lake, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, and belongs to the green tea category. Biluochun tea originated in the Ming Dynasty and was commonly known as ‘overwhelming fragrance’. During the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Kangxi inspected and tasted this famous tea with a green soup color and a spiral shape like a snail, praising it highly but finding the name ‘overwhelming fragrance’ unrefined, thus renaming it ‘Biluochun’. In fact, the aroma of Biluochun is not particularly strong, but it has a distinctive feature, which is its fruity fragrance. In the Biluochun production area, Dongshan, Suzhou, there is also an abundance of fruits such as oranges and bayberries, often planted alternately with tea trees, so it is not surprising that the tea carries a subtle fruity fragrance.Biluochun, a particularly tender tea, stands out among others with its requirement of 50,000 to 60,000 tea buds to produce just one pound of tea, compared to the 30,000 buds needed for other varieties. This makes Biluochun a superior tea in terms of tenderness.
Fenghuang Dancong, a type of oolong tea originating from the Ming Dynasty and produced in Chao’an Fenghuang Town’s Wudong Mountain, is named after its single plant (bush) harvesting and processing method. Recognized as a tribute tea throughout history, Fenghuang tea has been listed among China’s famous teas since the Qing Dynasty. The quality of Fenghuang tea is categorized into Dancong, Langcai, and Shui Xian, with each category having multiple grades. Fenghuang Dancong is considered the cream of the crop, known for its exceptional quality, characterized by its ‘beautiful shape, emerald color, rich aroma, and sweet taste.’ Its straight and plump appearance, elegant and noble natural floral fragrance, rich, mellow, refreshing, sweet aftertaste, and unique mountain honey flavor make it a tea with distinctive color, aroma, and taste qualities. The tea’s color is a bright orange-yellow, and its leaves have a green belly with a red edge, showing its great resilience to infusion. Wuyi Rock Tea is well-known for its saying, ‘No fragrance surpasses cinnamon, no richness surpasses Narcissus.’ Narcissus and cinnamon are the main varieties of rock tea. Cinnamon tea is made from the fresh leaves of the cinnamon tea plant using the Wuyi Rock Tea production method, making it a high-aroma variety of oolong tea. It has a unique charm of a bitter taste with a caramel fragrance, powerful and sharp, with a strong aroma that can cover the lid. Narcissus, on the other hand, offers a refreshing richness, light yet long-lasting, and fine but enduring. The finished cinnamon tea has a compact and dark green color, with a rich and sharp aroma similar to cinnamon, a mellow and sweet taste with a stimulating aftertaste, and a soup color ranging from orange-yellow to golden, bright and transparent. The tea leaves have a green belly with a red edge, showing a soft and bright appearance. The taste is mellow and sweet upon entry, leaving a lingering fragrance in the mouth and cheeks after swallowing. The strong aroma type, or traditional type, emphasizes full fermentation and sufficient firing, with the dry tea appearance slightly modified based on traditional craftsmanship. This highlights the essential aroma of Wuyi cinnamon, and the brewed tea has a light yellow color with a lofty aroma.
