High-aroma black tea: This type of black tea has a noticeable fragrance, with complex and elegant aromas of flowers, fruits, and honey. It has a good taste and sufficient richness, fully showcasing the characteristics of black tea. Low-aroma black tea: The aroma of this black tea is less noticeable, but it has a high quality texture and a rich taste, focusing on flavor rather than aroma. It is very suitable for tea enthusiasts who enjoy the original taste of black tea. The following table compares these two types of black tea:
| Type | Characteristic | Representative Product |
|---|---|---|
| High-aroma black tea | With a noticeable fragrance of flowers, fruits, and honey, with complex and elegant aromas. | Jinxuan black tea |
| Low-aroma black tea | Less prominent aroma, rich taste, emphasis on flavor. | Keemun black tea, Zhengshan Xiaozhong |
Zhengshan Xiaozhong does not belong to high-aroma black tea, because its aroma is elegant rather than strong. This tea focuses more on flavor than aroma, with a unique smoky flavor, which is different from the rich floral fragrance of high-aroma black teas like Da Hong Pao black tea or Dong Ding black tea. Therefore, although Zhengshan Xiaozhong is a high-quality black tea, it is not high-aroma.
The existence of high-aroma black tea is to provide a drink with a highly fragrant aroma, typically accompanied by floral, fruity, and honey notes. Although the taste of this tea may be relatively light, its rich and complex aroma can provide drinkers with a deep experience. The degree of fermentation is not the main factor determining the strength of tea aroma, but the comprehensive effect of factors such as tea variety, picking season, and tea processing techniques. However, generally speaking, lightly fermented or incomplete fermented black teas have more noticeable aromas.