Shaoguan Mi Hong

🍵 Tea Name

Shaoguan Mi Hong (Honey Black Tea)

📍 Terroir & Origin

• Precise Origin: Mountain gardens in northern Guangdong, around Shaoguan, among Danxia landforms. Persistent mist and a wide day–night temperature swing concentrate sugars in the leaf.
• Altitude & Environment: Gardens around 800 metres. Mineral soils under the red sandstone ridges, not a humid river-plain garden.
• Cultivar: Local northern Guangdong plants in the Renhua White Hair family. High amino acids and a natural sweetness are the genetic base of the honey profile.

🌱 Plucking Standards

• Harvest Timing: Pre-Guyu. The lot is taken in the second spring window, when the shoot has enough substance for a full black-tea oxidation without tasting thin.
• Plucking Requirements: A bud with one or two leaves, kept whole. Bruised leaf oxidises in the basket and muddies the honey note.

🔥 Processing Techniques

Production follows orthodox black-tea steps. The honey character is in the cultivar and the oxidation — it is not a flavoured tea and no honey is added.

• Withering: Fresh leaf is spread until moisture drops and the blade turns limp enough to roll without tearing.
• Rolling: Tight rolling releases oils and sets the compact, dark dry leaf.
• Oxidation: The critical step. Polyphenols are transformed under controlled warmth until the honey and faint sweet-potato notes are in the aroma, then the leaf is dried to stop the reaction.
• Drying: Final firing locks the amber liquor colour and the sweet finish for export.

👅 Tasting Notes

• Appearance: Tightly rolled, dark leaf. Not a broken breakfast grade.
• Liquor: Brilliant amber-red.
• Aroma & Palate: Pronounced wild-honey aroma. The cup is smooth and full, with honey over a light sweet-potato sweetness and a lingering aftertaste. Astringency should be low if oxidation was stopped on time.

🫖 Brewing & Storage

• Recommended brewing: White porcelain gaiwan or a small pot. Water at 90°C–95°C. About 4–5 g per 110 ml; a brief rinse, then 10–20 seconds on early Gongfu steeps. For a mug, a lighter ratio and a 2–3 minute steep still shows the honey note.
• Storage & shelf life: Sealed, away from direct sunlight, moisture, and strong odours, at room temperature. Labelled shelf life is 24 months from production.