Benifuuki vs Hong Yu (Ruby 18)
Two cultivars bred for black tea in countries that make almost none, and they show two different strategies for it. Japan crossed towards assamica and got astringency and aroma; Taiwan crossed Burmese assamica with wild mountain tea and got a signature nobody expected.
cultivar
What is being compared
Point by point
| Aspect | Benifuuki | Hong Yu |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Japan. | Taiwan. |
| Parentage | An assamica-influenced cross. | Burmese large-leaf assamica crossed with wild Taiwanese mountain tea. |
| Cup | Markedly more astringent and more aromatic than Yabukita-based wakoucha. | A natural menthol and cinnamon aroma found in no other cultivar. |
| What it changed | Gave Japanese black tea a plant actually bred for the job. | Made Taiwanese black tea distinctive rather than derivative. |
| Planted extent | A small share of Japanese planting. | Widely planted and heavily marketed. |
| Common assumption | That Japanese black tea is inherently mild — a cultivar artefact rather than a national trait. | That the mint note is flavouring. It is genetic. |
The short answer
Both countries built a black-tea identity by breeding for it rather than by processing differently, which is the more effective of the two routes and the slower one. Neither tea is a version of an Indian or Chinese black tea.
Not a ranking. TeaHQ publishes no ratings and does not know your occasion.