Red tea

Chinese red tea — the West’s “black” — fully oxidised: after withering and rolling, the leaf’s polyphenols oxidise enzymatically into a coppery liquor with a golden ring and body. It gathers Jīn jùnméi, Yúnnán Diānhóng and Zhèng shān xiǎo zhǒng, smoked over pine. In the cup: malt, cocoa and a long, warm finish, without bitterness.