Compare two teas
Side by side across seven dimensions. There is no verdict and no winner — the purpose is to understand the difference, not to be told which to buy.
Why these two get confused
Both bud-only Fujian black teas with a honeyed sweet-potato character. Jin Jun Mei carries an enormous premium and a Tongmu protected origin; Tanyang Jin Hao is the same idea from a neighbouring area at a fraction of the price.
Point by point
| Dimension | Jin Jun Mei | Tanyang Jin Hao |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Black tea · fully oxidised | Black tea · fully oxidised |
| Production | In order: Withering → Rolling and shaping → Oxidation → Drying. bud only and spring harvest. | In order: Withering → Strip rolling → Oxidation → Drying. bud only and spring harvest. |
| Origin | China — Wuyi Mountains | China — Tanyang |
| Flavour | sweet, floral and chocolate. silky and smooth in the mouth. Aroma: honey, cocoa, flowers, dried apricot. Layered in character. Moderate in intensity. | sweet, chocolate and nutty. medium, silky and smooth in the mouth. Aroma: honey, sweet potato, cocoa. Moderate in character. Moderate in intensity. |
| Brewing | Gongfu brewing (gaiwan): 3–4 g/100 ml at 85–90 °C, first steep 8s of 5 authored. | Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1–1.5 g/100 ml at 88–93 °C, first steep 150s. Gongfu brewing (gaiwan): 4–5 g/100 ml at 90–95 °C, first steep 10s of 5 authored. |
| Cultural context | Genuine Jin Jun Mei uses buds from the Tongmu area of Wuyi and requires a very large number of them per kilogram. The overwhelming majority of tea sold under the name is made elsewhere from other material. Price alone does not establish authenticity, but a low price effectively rules it out. | Not recorded for this tea. |
| Who may prefer it | Someone who wants presence without being dominated and has drunk enough tea to notice what changes between infusions. It rewards attention to leaf weight and timing. | Someone who wants presence without being dominated and wants to enjoy it on the first cup. It tolerates an imprecise brew and is traditionally drunk plain. |
Nothing above is a recommendation. The last row describes the drinker each tea suits, using each tea’s own authored fields and the same sentence structure for both, so neither can be framed as the safe choice.