Dianhong Teaball-Golden Buds

滇红金芽龙珠

This Dianhong Teaball-Golden Buds black tea is crafted using fresh leaves (one bud with one to two leaves) harvested from century-old plateau ancient tea trees located along the Lancang River(澜沧江) in the Fengqing(凤庆) tea region.

It is made with the most refined Fengqing black tea processing techniques, passed down through history.

The production of Dianhong Teaball involves first steaming the raw or loose tea to soften it, then weighing, shaping, selecting, tying, and wrapping it in clean gauze.
Next, the tea is hand-rolled, repeatedly kneaded with both hands with a moderate amount of force—not too heavy nor too light—before tying the gauze into knots, allowing it to cool and set into a spherical shape.
Finally, the pearls are dried by air. Each Dragon Pearl weighs approximately 4 to 5 grams, the perfect amount for brewing a cup of tea.

These Dianhong Teaballs are tightly compacted, with striking golden tips and a smooth, glossy surface, exuding floral and fruity aromas.

They can be brewed in a gaiwan, where tea can be steeped for about 10 seconds to produce a brew. After about five infusions, the teaball will fully unfurl. During brewing, the lid of the gaiwan can be gently pressed and moved to help the teaball unfold more quickly.

Alternatively, they can be steeped in a glass cup or teapot. When boiling water is added, after approximately five minutes, the tea ball will slowly unfurl, and the tea reaches its richest flavor at this point.

After brewing, the tea liquor appears bright orange-red, with a smooth and sweet taste. It carries floral and fruity notes, a honey-like aroma, and a subtle milky aftertaste.

Once fully unfurled, the Dianhong Teaballs resemble blooming chrysanthemums in the cup, with vibrant, lively buds and leaves, diffusing a fragrant aroma—both delightful to drink and visually pleasing.

These Dianhong Teaballs are characterized by the high fragrance and durability of Dianhong black tea, combined with the convenience of easy brewing, portability, and storage. They are highly recommended for tea enthusiasts new to Dianhong black tea.

Processing

The preliminary steps for processing and producing tea ball series products are basically the same as those for other types of tea. Subsequently, the raw tea needs to be steamed to soften it, and the appropriate amount of raw tea is calculated and measured based on factors such as loss ratio, leaf grade, and finished product weight.
Next, the tea is wrapped in gauze and manually kneaded into a ball shape; after that, it can be naturally dried, air-dried, or oven-dried to complete the production process. (Note: The gauze plays a supportive role, serving to help the tea balls form quickly.)

For instance, Pu-erh tea balls are made by selecting, blending, steaming, weighing, and manually kneading the prepared sun-dried raw tea into a ball shape, followed by drying.

The production process for black tea balls and white tea balls is similar. Prepared raw tea of black or white teas is selected, blended, steamed, weighed, manually kneaded into a ball, and then dried.

Some types of black tea with relatively uniform strips, such as Dianhong Golden Needle, and white tea, such as White Downy Tips Silver Needle, are first weighed, organized, and bundled with raw tea of similar specifications before being kneaded into a ball. This way, after brewing, the unfurled tea leaves will sink to the bottom of the cup like blooming flowers, creating a very beautiful effect.

Brewing

Compared to other compressed teas, the biggest advantage of tea balls is that there’s no need to pry the tea apart—just use one at a time, which is very convenient. Tea balls are typically in a mini form weighing 7–8 grams, making them easy to carry and an ideal choice for enjoying tea at home or while traveling.

How can you brew tea balls to bring out their best flavor?

Tea balls are suitable for all kinds of brewing vessels. Here, we’ll take brewing with a gaiwan as an example:

Place the tea ball into the gaiwan, pour in water at a temperature above 95°C, cover with the lid, rotate the gaiwan, and rinse the tea for about 5 seconds, then discard the rinse.
For the second brew, use hot water at the same temperature (above 95°C) and steep for around 10 seconds before pouring out the tea for drinking.

At this point, the tea ball will gradually begin to unfurl. For subsequent brews, you can adjust the steeping time according to your preference for different types of tea.
For example, for pu-erh tea balls or black tea balls, steeping for 3–5 seconds in the initial infusions is sufficient. After 5 brews, you can gradually extend the steeping time.
For white tea, it can be steeped for a longer period, with each infusion lasting between 10 to 30 seconds, depending on your personal taste.

Black Tea Storage

The quality of black tea is determined during the fermentation
process, and if stored properly, its quality remains relatively stable. Black tea has a long shelf life that can last for several years.
The key principles for storing black tea are: avoid light exposure, keep sealed, maintain room temperature, and prevent moisture.

1. Storage Container Selection
Although tea often comes with canisters or bags when purchased, it's best to use professional containers for long-term storage. The ideal containers for tea are made of porcelain, stainless steel, or tinplate. Before placing black tea inside, wrap it in plastic bags and remove air from the bags to better preserve the tea's aroma.

2. Storage Environment Conditions
The storage environment directly affects the quality of tea preservation. The optimal storage environment for tea should be dry, room temperature, and away from light. Additionally, avoid humid conditions, as black tea can easily absorb moisture and deteriorate. Direct sunlight will destroy vitamin C in tea leaves and alter their color and taste; high temperatures will accelerate the breakdown of effective components, reducing nutritional value.

3. Storage Duration
Although black tea can be stored for long periods, even under optimal storage conditions where it can maintain its flavor for 3-5 years, it is still recommended to consume it within 1 year.