TeaHQ

Yunnan Bai Hao black

A Dian Hong style plucked to include a very high proportion of silvery-downed bud, which turns golden in processing. The extra bud content raises sweetness and lowers astringency compared with standard Dian Hong, and produces a liquor that is almost orange rather than red.

Black teaModerate intensityAccessible to appreciateForgiving to brew雲南白毫
Brew at 88–93 °CUse 1–1.5 g per 100 mlFirst steep 180sWestern brewing (teapot or mug)Full schedule and equipment →

Character

One of the sweetest black teas made anywhere, thick without being astringent, with the peppery Yunnan signature underneath.

Flavour
Sweet, Fruity, Nutty
Aroma
Honeyed, Malty
Mouthfeel
Full bodied, Silky, Rich
Complexity
Moderate
Notes
honey, sweet potato, apricot, malt
Aftertaste
Long and honeyed with a faint peppery lift.

Moderate intensity: noticeable weight or grip, but neither dominates the cup.

Provenance and production

Origin
China
Region
Yunnan
Cultivar
Yunkang 10
Oxidation
Fully oxidised
Harvest
Spring
Processing
Withering → Rolling and shaping → Oxidation → Drying

Brewing

No caffeine estimate is authored for this tea. TeaHQ does not infer one from its category, because category predicts caffeine poorly — matcha and gyokuro carry more than many black teas.

If you like this

Grouped by why they were suggested, strongest reason first. Nothing here is a blended score — a suggestion appears under the best reason that exists for it, and never under a weaker one as well.

Editorially linked

Someone wrote down why these two belong together. The note below is theirs.

  • Ye Sheng black tea

    From the sweetest conventional Yunnan black to the strangest. Expect plum and pine resin instead of honey, and a texture closer to aged sheng.

  • Yunnan Golden Bud

    Two names for bud-heavy Yunnan black tea, used inconsistently by sellers. The difference between them is grade and marketing rather than a defined production distinction.

  • Assam golden tips

    Two bud-heavy blacks from India and Yunnan, both softened considerably by the golden tip content.

Similar sensory profile

Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.

  • Assam orthodox tippy

    Shares 7 descriptors with Yunnan Bai Hao black: sweet, fruity, nutty, full bodied, rich, honeyed and malty.

  • Golden Needle

    Shares 7 descriptors with Yunnan Bai Hao black: sweet, nutty, full bodied, silky, rich, honeyed and malty.

  • Assam clonal

    Shares 6 descriptors with Yunnan Bai Hao black: sweet, fruity, nutty, full bodied, malty and honeyed.

  • Aged Shou Mei

    Shares 5 descriptors with Yunnan Bai Hao black: sweet, fruity, full bodied, rich and honeyed.

  • Aged white tea cake

    Shares 5 descriptors with Yunnan Bai Hao black: sweet, fruity, full bodied, rich and honeyed.

Compare this tea with another

Botanicals this connects to

  • Chinese rosebud — Rose-scented black tea from Guangdong and Yunnan is a nineteenth-century export product still made the same way.