Dianhong Da Jin Ya (滇红大金芽) — big golden-bud Yunnan red

In the cup

Honey, malt and dried fruit over milk chocolate and caramel — full and velvety, with a gentle structure and a long, honeyed returning sweetness.

What it gives

A warming, gently energising red — fully oxidised and low in bite, settling and good on a cold day.

Dianhong Da Jin Ya — big golden bud — is a premium grade of dianhong, the red tea of Yunnan, from the broad-leaf tea trees of Fengqing and Lincang, the heartland the Chinese call “the home of dianhong”. The big-leaf assamica gives buds far larger than the small-leaf reds of the east, and here the pick is almost all bud, dense with golden down — the visual signature of the grade.

The cup matches the look. It is rich and warm — honey and malt over dried apricot, prune and raisin, milk chocolate and caramel, with a whisper of spice — full and velvety, with just enough gentle structure to give it depth and a long, honeyed huígān. A well-brewed cup shows the golden ring at the rim that Yunnan reds are admired for.

In the cup

Brew it gongfu, around 93 °C and short, for a layered cup, or Western for three minutes for a smooth, malty mug. The bitterness is minimal when handled well, and it takes milk kindly if you wish. A glass shows the gold of the buds as they open.

How to brew