Red Tea (Hongcha)

In China, fully oxidised tea is called hongcha (红茶) — literally 'red tea', named for the copper colour of the liquor. When it reached Europe in the 17th century, Western traders named it 'black tea' after the dark dry leaf; the Chinese name never changed. The four families here are Dian Hong (Yunnan golden tips), Keemun (the orchid-and-stone-fruit Anhui classic), Lapsang Souchong (the original pine-smoked Tong Mu tea) and Zhengshan Xiaozhong (its unsmoked cousin). All brew rich, full-bodied and almost tannin-free.