---
title: "Hànzhōng hóng"
url: https://thetea.app/article/hanzhong-hong
lang: en
updated: 2026-10-01
source: THE TEA — encyclopedia of Chinese tea (https://thetea.app)
---
# Hànzhōng hóng (汉中红)

*Hànzhōng hóng* (汉中红) is a red tea of the prefecture-level city of Hanzhong (汉中市) in the south of Shaanxi Province. The prefecture is known above all for its green tea, and *Hànzhōng hóng* is the red line in the family of its tea marks: alongside the green Hanzhong Xian Hao ([汉中仙毫](https://thetea.app/article/hanzhong-xian-hao)), Hanzhong Chaoqing (汉中炒青) and Hanzhong Maojian (汉中[毛尖](https://thetea.app/article/mao-jian)). The name is protected by a geographical indication collective mark, which the Hanzhong tea association registered in 2022. The documents on the mark speak of brand protection; descriptions of the tea itself under this mark are not found in the sources consulted.

**1. Classification and Origin:**

* **Type:** Red tea (红茶, *hóngchá*), fully oxidized. The class is inferred from the name and from the set of the prefecture's marks: 汉中红 is the only “red” mark alongside three green ones. I have not seen a mark document stating the class and technology.
* **Category:** Regional brand of the prefecture; geographical indication collective mark (2022).
* **Origin:** China, Shaanxi Province (陕西, *Shǎnxī*), Hanzhong prefecture-level city (汉中, *Hànzhōng*).
* **Mark zone:** Data not found in the sources consulted. The mark holder is the prefecture's association, but I have not checked the legal boundary of the zone.
* **Geographic coordinates:** The city of Hanzhong — about 33.1° N and 107.0° E.

**2. History and Cultural Significance:**

* **History:**
    * **Before the mark.** The Hanzhong Tea Industry Association (汉中市茶业协会) had earlier registered two geographical indication collective marks for green tea — “汉中仙毫” and “汉中炒青”. In 2021 the prefecture received approval to establish a national demonstration zone for the protection of the “汉中仙毫” geographical indication.
    * **2022.** According to a *Hanzhong Ribao* report reprinted in September 2022, the trademark office of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) registered, on the association's application, two more geographical indication collective marks — “汉中毛尖” and “汉中红”. The mark number is not given in the sources consulted.
    * **2023.** The Ministry of Commerce's intellectual property portal, reporting on the prefecture's new marks, mentions the registration of “汉中红” and “汉中毛尖” in 2022.
    * **2024.** In May the prefecture's market regulation administration, together with the prefecture's court and procuratorate, carried out an inspection in Xixiang County (西乡县). In the administration's report, published by the Shaanxi Intellectual Property Administration, “汉中红” is named among the four tea marks that the prefecture protects through the joint efforts of the administration and the courts: “汉中仙毫”, “汉中炒青”, “汉中毛尖” and “汉中红”.
* **Name:** “Hanzhong” (汉中) is the name of the prefecture-level city; “hong” (红) means “red”. Such short names ending in “红” are a common form for regional red teas of China: Lichuan Hong, Xinyang Hong.
* **Cultural significance:** The 2024 report calls Hanzhong the largest green tea base on the northern edge of the tea area north of the Yangtze and one of the places where the “汉茶” tea culture originated. Red tea in this picture is the second pillar: according to a 2024 publication, the prefecture's industry rests on green and red tea, while white tea, dark tea, pressed fuzhuan, bagged and instant tea complement it.

**3. Botanical Description and Raw Material:**

* **Variety / Cultivar:** For the “汉中红” mark, data not found in the sources consulted.
* **Harvest standard and timing:** Data not found in the sources consulted.
* **For comparison:** A tea reference describes the red tea brand “汉山红” (see section 13) as a tea made from medium- and small-leaf varieties of the Qingshu and Hongmiao localities (青树、红庙) of Nanzheng District (南郑). A link between this brand and the “汉中红” mark is not established in the sources consulted.

**4. Terroir and Cultivation Features:**

* **Region:** Southern Shaanxi, the basin of the upper reaches of the Hanshui River (汉水).
* **Scale of the industry:** According to a 2024 publication on the demonstration protection zone, the total area of the prefecture's tea gardens is 1.324 million mu, output is 68,000 t, and more than a million people work in the industry. What share falls to red tea is not stated.
* **Altitude, climate, soils:** Data for red tea not found in the sources consulted.

**5. Production Technology:**

Technology requirements of the mark are not found in the sources consulted. Below is the general scheme for red tea, not a description of the technology of *Hànzhōng hóng* specifically:

1.  **Withering (萎凋, *wěidiāo*):** The leaf loses moisture and becomes soft.
2.  **Rolling (揉捻, *róuniǎn*):** The leaf cells are broken and the juice comes to the surface.
3.  **Fermentation (发酵, *fājiào*):** The leaf turns red; theaflavins and thearubigins form.
4.  **Drying (干燥, *gānzào*):** Stops oxidation and fixes the aroma.

**6. Organoleptic Characteristics:**

Descriptions of the appearance of tea under the “汉中红” mark are not found in the sources consulted.

* **Dry leaf appearance:** Data not found in the sources consulted.
* **Dry leaf aroma:** Data not found in the sources consulted.
* **Liquor aroma:** Data not found in the sources consulted.
* **Taste:** Data not found in the sources consulted.
* **Liquor color:** Data not found in the sources consulted.
* **Spent leaves (wet leaves):** Data not found in the sources consulted.

For the “汉山红” brand a tea reference gives a description of the top grade: tight, thin twists with golden tips, a black, glossy color, a bright red liquor, a dense, long-lasting aroma, a mellow, sweet taste and bright red, lively spent leaves. This is the description of one brand, not the requirements of the mark.

**7. Chemical Composition:**

Data not found in the sources consulted.

**8. Health Properties:**

There are no verified data on the effects of this particular tea.

**9. Brewing:**

Class practice for red tea.

* **Water temperature:** 90–95 °C.
* **Tea amount:** 3 g per 150 ml.
* **Teaware:** A white porcelain gaiwan or a porcelain teapot — the color of the liquor shows well in them.
* **Process:**
    1. Warm the teaware.
    2. Add the tea.
    3. Pour water and discard the first short infusion if the tea is dusty.
    4. First infusion — about a minute.
    5. Pour off completely, without leaving the leaf in the water.
    6. Three to five further infusions, lengthening the time.

**10. Storage:**

Class practice. In a dry, dark place at room temperature, in tightly closed packaging, away from odors and moisture; a refrigerator is not needed.

**11. Price and Counterfeits:**

Price data for tea under the “汉中红” mark are not found in the sources consulted.

* **How to avoid counterfeits:**
    * Look for the labeling of the “汉中红” collective mark and check that the producer is a member of the Hanzhong tea association or has been admitted to the mark by it.
    * Check that the producer is from Hanzhong prefecture-level city.
    * Bear in mind that inspections of the use of the prefecture's tea marks are carried out by the prefecture's market regulation administration together with the court and the procuratorate.

**12. Interesting Facts:**

* “汉中红” is the only red mark among the four tea marks of one association; the other three are green.
* The “汉中红” and “汉中毛尖” marks were registered at the same time, in 2022.
* According to a 2022 report, the prefecture had 26 geographical indication trademarks and 13 geographical indication products; by early 2023 the number of marks had reached 28.
* According to a 2022 report, the value of the “汉中仙毫” brand was estimated at 3.871 billion yuan.

**13. Comparison with Other Teas:**

* **Hanzhong Xian Hao (汉中仙毫):** The flagship green tea of the same prefecture; the association registered its mark earlier than “汉中红”.
* **Zhenba Maojian ([镇巴毛尖](https://thetea.app/article/zhenba-maojian)):** A green tea of Zhenba County in the same Hanzhong prefecture.
* **Hanshan Hong (汉山红):** A red tea brand from Nanzheng District. According to a tea reference, it was developed by the Qinba Red Tea Institute, which Shaanxi University of Technology set up together with the Hanzhong tea association and tea administration; the reference also calls it “汉中红茶”, but does not indicate a link between the brand and the “汉中红” mark. The reference calls it Hanzhong's first high-grade gongfu hongcha; in 2014 it received a special gold award at the famous tea competition of the 11th China International Tea Expo, and in 2015 the title “中华好茶”.
* **Ziyang Hong Cha ([紫阳红茶](https://thetea.app/article/ziyang-hongcha)):** A red tea of Ziyang County in the south of the same Shaanxi Province.
* **Xinyang Hong ([信阳红](https://thetea.app/article/xinyang-hong)):** A red tea from a green tea region — the same kind of “red line” beside a green flagship.

**In Conclusion:**

*Hànzhōng hóng* is the red line in the tea family of a prefecture famous for its green tea. It is known more as a brand than as a tea: the association's 2022 collective mark, joint protection together with the courts and the procuratorate, a place beside Hanzhong Xian Hao. The appearance, varieties and technology under this mark are not described in the sources consulted — for them one should go to the mark document, and for the taste, to a specific producer.