Who it is for
Red tea suits people who want a cup with weight in it.
Anyone who drinks tea with milk will find this the only Chinese category that takes it well.
It suits someone who wants one pot and no further attention.
People who like malt, cocoa and dried fruit will recognise those notes immediately.
It suits anyone who drinks tea for warmth rather than for curiosity.
Breakfast drinkers are the obvious case, and this is the category built for them.
It suits hosts, since one pot will serve four people without any ceremony.
Anyone who dislikes delicate teas will find something to hold on to here.
People who want a dependable everyday cup should start here.
It suits someone who does not want to think about water temperature.
Beginners do well with it, because it is forgiving of a heavy hand.
Anyone who likes coffee will usually find the stronger Yunnan styles familiar.
The thread is reliability: it tastes like tea is expected to taste.
It also suits anyone who wants a tea that works without equipment, scales or a timer.
Who might skip it
Anyone who wants a delicate cup should look at a green or a white.
People who drink several pots a day may find it too strong.
Someone who dislikes tannin will meet plenty of it here.
It is the wrong tea for a light lunch, where it will dominate the plate.
Anyone who wants a tea that changes across steeps will be disappointed.
One infusion is the norm, and the second is usually thin.
People who enjoy the gongfu ritual will find little to do with it.
It is a poor choice for someone who wants to taste a region rather than a process.
Shoppers who only buy breakfast blends miss what the Chinese styles do.
Anyone sensitive to caffeine should treat a strong morning pot with respect.
People who dislike bitter tea should brew cooler before giving up on it.
A red brewed at 95 °C for 4 minutes is at the strong end of what anyone needs.
Most complaints about this category come from overbrewing rather than from the leaf.
People who want a delicate, changing cup will find the whole category blunt.
Anyone who wants subtlety should look at a white tea and accept the extra attention.
Taste first, not health
Pick it on flavour, since that is what ends up in the cup every morning.
Health claims are the weakest reason to choose, and they are revised constantly.
The research behind them generally uses extracts, not brewed leaf.
A pot of tea is a drink, and it should be judged as one.
Nothing here claims that any tea has a medicinal effect.
What is dependable is the taste: malt, sweetness, and a drying finish.
Caffeine is the one measurable effect, and this category is at the upper end.
Brewing at 90 °C for 3 minutes pulls less of it than full breakfast strength.
Anyone wanting less can also stop at 3 g rather than 5.
Beyond that, there is nothing worth planning around.
A tea bought because it is supposed to help will not be finished if it tastes harsh.
Morning after morning, taste is the only thing that keeps a tea in the cupboard.
Choose with your mouth and let the rest go unclaimed.
Anyone who wants certainty should trust the cup in front of them and nothing printed beside it.
How to decide
Buy two: one Yunnan and one from Anhui or Fujian.
The first is malty and strong, the second is sweeter and lighter.
Brew them at 95 °C with 5 g in a 300 ml pot for 4 minutes.
Try both with and without milk, since that changes the ranking.
If both taste harsh, drop the temperature to 90 °C before blaming the leaf.
Most bitterness complaints here are temperature complaints.
If both taste thin, add a gram rather than steeping longer.
Longer steeps extract tannin faster than they extract flavour.
Buy loose leaf rather than dust, which is what most teabags contain.
The difference in the cup is immediate and obvious.
Store it dry and sealed, since it loses aroma faster than it loses strength.
Then drink it over two weeks at different strengths.
Decide on the one you finish without thinking about it.
If the dry leaf smells sour rather than sweet, it was fermented too warm and will not improve.
Good red leaf smells of malt or cocoa before any water touches it.