TEA STORY | Queen Elizabeth II's Favourite Chinese Teas

Ever wondered about the four Chinese teas loved by Queen Elizabeth II? Let's delve into them:

1. Yingde Black Tea: In 1969, the Guangdong Tea Import and Export Corporation received a telegram from the Economic Counselor's Office of the Chinese Embassy in the UK: the British royal family favored Yingde black tea. In 1963, Queen Elizabeth II served Yingde black tea to guests at a grand banquet, receiving high praise. Yingde black tea, a specialty of Yingde City in Guangdong Province, was successfully produced using Yunnan large-leaf tea in 1959. The finished tea is well-proportioned and beautiful, with a dark and glossy appearance, bright red soup color, and a strong and pure aroma. Among them, Yinghong No. 9 is the best of Yingde black tea.

2. Zhengshan Xiaozhong (Lapsang Souchong): According to the Oriental Daily of Hong Kong on September 19, 1996, the British royal family enjoys Chinese tea, including Fujian's Lapsang Souchong and Yingde black tea. Zhengshan Xiaozhong, the ancestor of black tea worldwide, is divided into smoked and unsmoked varieties. The smoked version, made with pine needles or pine wood, has a lychee soup and a pine smoke fragrance, while the unsmoked version is sweet and mellow, with a mountainous flavour.

3. Qimen Black Tea: According to Mr. Min Xuanwen, an intangible cultural heritage inheritor of Qimen Red Tea, in 1986, Queen Elizabeth visited Shanghai, and representatives from Shanghai came to us looking for tea. Qimen black tea, also known as Qimen Hong, is a top-grade black tea, widely acclaimed as the favourite drink of Queen Elizabeth and the royal family, earning titles like "the most elegant among teas" and "the queen of black tea." Qimen black tea is classified into Qimen Gongfu, Qimen Xiang Luo, and Qimen Maofeng based on production techniques, with a unique fragrance known as Qimen fragrance.

4. Dianhong Yunnan Black Tea: In 1986, Queen Elizabeth II visited Kunming. The then-governor of Yunnan Province presented "Dianhong Extraordinary Black Tea" as a national gift to Queen Elizabeth II. Since then, Dianhong tea has entered the British royal family. The tea's appearance is stout and slender, with a golden tip, bright soup color, long-lasting aroma, strong taste, and stimulating qualities.