Yingde Hong Cha

yīngdé hóngchá

英德红茶

The great red of Guangdong — a younger famous name, bred in the 20th century around Yingde. Bold and smooth, with sweet-potato, honey and lychee notes and enough body for milk.

Region: Yingde, Guangdong — 50–500 m
Harvest: Spring and through the warm season
Oxidation: Fully oxidised
Cultivar: Yinghong No. 9 and other local cultivars

In the cup

Sweet potato, honey and a lychee-fruit lift over a full malty body, with a smooth, sweet finish.

What it gives

A warming, full-bodied red — robust and satisfying, naturally sweet, and strong enough to take milk if you like.

Yingde Hong Cha is the most famous red tea of Guangdong, and a relatively young one: it was developed around Yingde in the mid-20th century, much of it from the purpose-bred Yinghong No. 9 cultivar, to build a southern red tea with real strength and body. It quickly earned a name, and Yingde reds have been served at state tables and exported widely.

The leaf is dark and well made, fully oxidised, and the cup is bold but smooth — a southern red with the characteristic sweet-potato sweetness of Guangdong, lifted by honey and a distinct lychee-fruit note.

In the cup

Brew hot, around 90–95 °C, gongfu or western. The liquor runs deep red and full-bodied, sweet and malty, with that sweet-potato base and a bright lychee lift. It is one of the few Chinese reds with enough backbone to carry milk, though it is sweet and smooth enough to drink black.

How to brew