The category first made in Tongmu, Wuyishan: Lapsang Souchong, Jin Jun Mei and Tanyang Gongfu, smoked or unsmoked as the contract states.
Black Tea — origin and process footage Editorial tea-country and processing footage from Fujian. Asset provenance is recorded in the asset log; no ownership of a garden or plant is claimed.
- OriginTongmu (Wuyishan) and Fu'an, Fujian
- RelationshipFujian-origin line — producer and relationship confirmed per quotation
- GradesLapsang Souchong, Jin Jun Mei, Tanyang Gongfu
- Moisture≤ 7.0%
- HS heading0902.40
- Principal marketsRussia, Uzbekistan, United States
- Specification sheetPDF · Printable page
Tea knowledge
How does it taste, and what can it realistically do?
Black tea brings briskness, body and aroma. It can be a satisfying unsweetened drink, but the clinical evidence is more modest than the headlines.
Liquor
Red amber#9A3D14
HS 0902.40
Fujian-origin line
What is the origin story buyers can verify?
Black tea was invented in Tongmu, Wuyishan, Fujian — Lapsang Souchong is the first black tea on record, and every other black tea in the world descends from it. ODM Tea exports Lapsang Souchong and Jin Jun Mei from Tongmu and Tanyang Gongfu from Fu'an. Black tea accounted for USD 28.05 million, or 9.18%, of Fujian's tea export value in 2023.
Origin: Tongmu (Wuyishan) and Fu'an, Fujian. The producing party is named in the quotation.
What are the grades?
Black Tea is offered in 3 grades. The grade fixes the make; the contract fixes moisture, residue standard, screen and packing. Quoting a grade code without those four clauses leaves the price-relevant variables undefined.
| Grade | English trade name | Pluck / origin | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lapsang Souchong | — | Tongmu, Wuyishan | Unsmoked and pine-smoked versions; specify at order. |
| Jin Jun Mei | Golden Eyebrow | Tongmu, Wuyishan | Bud-only pluck; golden tip. |
| Tanyang Gongfu | — | Fu'an, Ningde | Congou style; the historic Fujian export black. |
What does the specification cover?
The figures below are the trade specification ranges ODM Tea quotes against for black tea under HS 0902.40, not a per-lot guarantee. Where a certificate of analysis is part of the contract, the specification for a shipment is issued with it; where testing is included in the quotation, the residue report is tested against the destination standard rather than the origin standard.
- Moisture
- ≤ 7.0%
- Oxidation
- Full
- Smoke
- Smoked or unsmoked — must be stated on the contract and the label
- Formats
- Loose leaf, bulk cartons, retail packing
- HS heading
- 0902.40 in bulk; 0902.30 in packings of 3 kg or less
Which markets buy this?
Black Tea ships principally to Russia, Uzbekistan, United States. Chinese tea volume into Russia fell 19.2% to 15.9 million kg year-to-date, with the mix at 68% green and 14% specialty.
Russia
Chinese tea volume into Russia fell 19.2% year-to-date in 2025, by an industry count, with green tea at 68% of the mix.
Uzbekistan
Second only to Morocco by volume among China's ten largest tea markets: 29,217.4 tonnes in 2025, up 17.3%.
United States
Seventh by value on about a ninth of Morocco's volume — grade, not tonnage, sets the price.
Frequently asked
What is the origin story buyers can verify?
Black tea was invented in Tongmu, Wuyishan, Fujian — Lapsang Souchong is the first black tea on record, and every other black tea in the world descends from it. ODM Tea exports Lapsang Souchong and Jin Jun Mei from Tongmu and Tanyang Gongfu from Fu'an. Black tea accounted for USD 28.05 million, or 9.18%, of Fujian's tea export value in 2023.
What moisture specification applies to black tea?
≤ 7.0%. Moisture is one of the main factors in how long tea keeps, alongside the pack and storage, and it is the first line on a certificate of analysis.
Which HS heading does black tea ship under?
0902.40. Heading 0902 splits tea by fermentation and by packing size: immediate packings of 3 kg or less move green and white tea to 0902.10, and oolong and black tea to 0902.30.
Which markets buy black tea?
Russia, Uzbekistan, United States. Chinese tea volume into Russia fell 19.2% to 15.9 million kg year-to-date, with the mix at 68% green and 14% specialty.
What types of black tea are there?
By make: whole-leaf orthodox tea, broken grades, fannings and dust, and CTC granules used in tea bags. By origin: Chinese black teas such as Lapsang Souchong, Jin Jun Mei, Tanyang Gongfu, Keemun and Dian Hong, and Assam, Darjeeling, Ceylon and Kenyan teas. By treatment: smoked or unsmoked, plain or flavoured, as in Earl Grey.
Which black tea is the strongest?
Strength in the cup comes from the make as much as the origin: CTC and broken-leaf teas, typical of Assam and Kenya, brew fastest and darkest, which is why breakfast blends rely on them. Whole-leaf Chinese black teas are smoother and sweeter. Lapsang Souchong is the strongest in flavour because of its pinewood smoke, not its caffeine.
Black tea bags or loose-leaf black tea?
Tea bags usually hold broken or CTC tea for a quick, strong cup; loose leaf gives whole leaves room to open and a more layered cup over several infusions. For a buyer the format decides the grade: a tea-bag programme is specified by cut and particle size, a loose-leaf programme by leaf style and appearance.
Which black tea should I choose?
Choose by use. For milk and sugar, a strong broken or CTC tea; for drinking plain, a whole-leaf Chinese black tea such as Tanyang Gongfu or Jin Jun Mei; for a smoky profile, Lapsang Souchong. Buyers confirm the choice by cupping samples prepared the way the customer will drink the tea.
Why is black tea expensive?
Most black tea is not: CTC tea for bags is among the cheapest teas traded. Price rises with hand-plucked buds, small origins and labour-intensive styles — Jin Jun Mei is made from buds alone. In China's 2025 export statistics black tea averaged USD 5,258.0 per tonne against USD 3,368.2 for green tea; these are trade averages, not quotations.
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