Red Tea is Black Tea

(Updated)

The tea with highly oxidized leaves referred to as black tea in the West is red tea in China (hongcha), Japan (kocha) and Korea (hongcha). According to one explanation, it is red tea because of the color of the liquor. On the other hand, the West refers to it as black tea because of the color of the dry leaf.

This should not be confused with rooibos of South Africa. Rooibos is a tisane with short bright red needle-like leaves from the Aspalathus linearis plant usually grown in Cederberg. It produces a brewed liquor of the same color. This tisane is also called red bush tea and sometimes listed as red tea.

It must be noted that China's black tea is what is known as fermented tea or dark tea.

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