chì gān xiǎo zhǒng

Chigan Xiaozhong (赤甘小种, chì gān xiǎo zhǒng) is a red tea (红茶, hóngchá) from the group of small-leaf xiaozhongs, originating from the mountainous area of Wuyishan (武夷山, Wǔyí shān) in the north of Fujian province (福建, Fújiàn). The name literally means “scarlet sweet xiaozhong” and points simultaneously to the reddish-brown colour of the dry leaf and to the soft sweetish taste of the infusion. Essentially Chigan is one of the modern gradations of unsmoked Zhengshan Xiaozhong (正山小种, zhèng shān xiǎo zhǒng), the very tea from Tongmu village which is considered to be historically the first red tea in the world. In terms of raw material maturity and style it occupies an intermediate position between the elite bud-only Jinjunmei (金骏眉, jīn jùn méi) and traditional smoked lapsang. In modern Chinese tea culture this is an accessible but good-quality tea valued for its honey-fruity aroma and a characteristic note of dried longan.

1. Classification and Origin:

Type: red tea (红茶, hóngchá), subgroup of small-leaf red teas — xiaozhong (小种红茶, xiǎo zhǒng hóngchá).
Name: 赤甘 (chì gān), where 赤 — “scarlet, reddish”, 甘 — “sweet”; full name — 赤甘小种 (chì gān xiǎo zhǒng).
Varieties: Xiao Chigan (小赤甘, xiǎo chì gān) — from more tender raw material; Da Chigan (大赤甘, dà chì gān) — from more mature leaf.
Origin: Tongmu village (桐木村, Tóngmù cūn), Xingcun town (星村镇, Xīngcūn zhèn), Wuyishan city, Nanping prefecture (南平, Nánpíng), Fujian province.
Position in the line: between bud-only Jinjunmei and smoked Zhengshan Xiaozhong.
Standard: belongs to the category 小种红茶, described by the national standard GB/T 13738.3.

The key contrast for understanding Chigan is “zhengshan” (正山, zhèng shān, “true mountain”) versus “waishan” (外山, wài shān, “outside mountain”). Genuine raw material is that grown within the boundaries of the nature reserve around Tongmu; tea from neighbouring areas and other counties, made in the same style, is called “waishan” and is valued noticeably lower.

2. History and Cultural Significance:

Birthplace of the style: Tongmu village, late Ming dynasty (turn of the 16th–17th centuries).
Export name: lapsang souchong — under this name the tea reached Europe in the 17th–18th centuries.
Modern milestone: the creation of Jinjunmei in 2005, which launched the fashion for unsmoked gradations, including Chigan.

According to a widely accepted version, red tea was born in Tongmu by accident: an army passing through the mountains occupied the tea workshop, processing was delayed, the leaf began to oxidise, and in order to save the harvest and dry it faster, tea masters used heat from burning pine. Thus the smoked souchong with its smoky aroma appeared. The English word “souchong” is a distortion of the southern Fujian reading of the characters 小种 (“small sort”).

For a long time Zhengshan Xiaozhong was associated specifically with smoking. The turning point came in 2005, when masters of the Zhengshan Tang company (正山堂, Zhèngshān táng) released Jinjunmei — an unsmoked tea made from buds alone. The success of the novelty created a whole spectrum of unsmoked teas from the same raw material and the same locality, where Chigan occupied the niche of a more democratic but still genuinely “true mountain” tea.

3. Botanical Description and Raw Material:

Species: tea bush Camellia sinensis.
Cultivar: local seed population Caicha (菜茶, cài chá) — the so-called “population-varietal” type (群体种, qúntǐ zhǒng), propagated by seeds and therefore genetically heterogeneous.
Xiao Chigan raw material: a bud with one opened leaf, finer and more tender.
Da Chigan raw material: a bud with two to three leaves, more mature and larger.
Season: predominantly spring harvest.

The Caicha seed population is an important feature of the terroir. Unlike clonal cultivars planted from cuttings, these bushes grew from seeds, accumulated genetic diversity and yield a complex, “polyphonic” aroma. It is to these that the taste of classic Zhengshan Xiaozhong traces back.

4. Terroir and Cultivation Features:

Location: Wuyishan National Nature Reserve, the borderland of Fujian and Jiangxi.
Altitudes: tea gardens are located mainly at 700–1200 metres, with individual plots higher.
Coordinates: vicinity of Tongmu — approximately 27.7° north latitude and 117.7° east longitude.
Relief: the highest peak of the region — Huanggangshan (黄岗山, Huánggǎng shān) with an elevation above 2100 metres.
Climate: high humidity, frequent fogs, noticeable diurnal temperature range.

The protected status of the locality severely limits production volumes: plantations cannot be expanded here and industrial construction is prohibited. The cool humid climate of the high mountains slows the growth of shoots, and the leaf accumulates more aromatic and sweet substances. The combination of clean air, fogs and diffused light is considered the foundation of the recognisable profile of Tongmu teas.

5. Production Technology:

Withering (萎凋, wěidiāo): wilting of the leaf to lose part of the moisture and launch biochemistry.
Rolling (揉捻, róuniǎn): breaking of cells and shaping the twist.
Oxidation (发酵, fājiào): oxidation during which the leaf acquires a reddish-brown colour and fruity-honey aroma.
Pan-firing (过红锅, guò hóng guō): a traditional, but not always applied technique — brief thermal treatment to halt oxidation and fix the aroma.
Re-rolling (复揉, fù róu): refining the shape of the leaf.
Drying (烘焙, hōngbèi): final drying, for Chigan — without pine smoke.

The main difference of Chigan from classic smoked lapsang is the absence of the smoking stage over pine (熏焙, xūn bèi). This is precisely why Chigan is classified as an unsmoked (无烟, wú yān) xiaozhong: instead of a resinous-smoky tone it reveals natural fruity and honey sweetness. The division into Xiao and Da Chigan is laid down already at the harvest stage — by the raw material standard.

6. Organoleptic Characteristics:

Dry leaf: tight twisted tea leaves of dark reddish-brown colour; Xiao Chigan has more golden tips.
Infusion: from orange-red to amber, transparent.
Aroma: honeyed, fruity, with a pronounced note of dried longan (桂圆, guìyuán).
Taste: soft, rounded, sweet, with a long sweet aftertaste (甘, gān).
Signature note: “longan broth” (桂圆汤, guìyuán tāng) — the classic marker of Tongmu xiaozhong.

The difference between the two gradations is noticeable in the cup as well. Xiao Chigan is lighter and brighter, with more clearly expressed fruitiness and floral nuances. Da Chigan is denser and deeper, with more mature, sweet-woody and “caramel” tones and a noticeable body in the infusion.

7. Chemical Composition:

Tea polyphenols (茶多酚, chá duō fēn): after oxidation their share decreases; roughly 10–15% in finished tea.
Oxidation products: theaflavins (茶黄素, chá huáng sù) and thearubigins (茶红素, chá hóng sù) form the colour of the infusion, brightness and astringency.
Caffeine (咖啡碱, kāfēi jiǎn): roughly 2–4%.
Amino acids, including theanine (茶氨酸, chá ān suān): provide sweetness and “umami”, usually around 2–4%.
Aromatic compounds: responsible for the fruity-honey and longan profile.

The values given are approximate: the actual composition depends on the raw material, degree of oxidation and drying regime. In unsmoked Chigan the set of volatile compounds is fundamentally different from that of smoked lapsang, where phenolic components of smoke make a significant contribution.

8. Health Benefits:

Warm nature: in the Chinese tradition red tea is considered warming and gentle.
Gentleness to the stomach: oxidised tea is usually easier tolerated than green tea, especially on an empty stomach.
Toning: moderate caffeine content provides soft invigoration.
Antioxidants: theaflavins and thearubigins are studied as compounds with antioxidant activity.

It is worth treating tea as a beverage and not as a medicine: the above are general properties of red tea, not proven therapeutic effects of Chigan specifically. With sensitivity to caffeine it is reasonable to limit strength and steeping time.

9. Brewing:

Vessel: gaiwan (盖碗, gàiwǎn) or a small Yixing teapot with a volume of 100–150 ml.
Ratio: about 5 grams per 100–110 ml.
Temperature: 90–95 °C for Xiao Chigan, 95–100 °C for more mature Da Chigan.
Rinse: a quick rinsing pour is optional, especially for Da Chigan.
Infusions: first steepings 5–10 seconds, thereafter time is gradually increased.

With the gongfu (infusion) method Chigan withstands 8–10 or more short infusions, revealing itself in waves: first fruity-honey tones, then denser sweetness. Overly boiling water for tender Xiao Chigan is undesirable — it may coarsen the taste. “Western-style” brewing is also possible: 3–4 grams per 200–250 ml for 3–5 minutes, but with this method the subtlety of the profile is lost.

10. Storage:

Container: airtight, light-proof packaging or a caddy.
Conditions: dryness, coolness, absence of extraneous odours.
Shelf life: optimal in the first 2–3 years while the aroma is fresh.

Red tea is more stable than green, but it is not puer: prolonged ageing is not an end in itself for it. Chigan is especially valued for its fresh fruity aromatics, which gradually fade over the years. With proper storage the tea does not spoil and can last longer, acquiring a calmer, “dried-fruit” character, but the brightness of young tea is lost in the process.

11. Price and Counterfeits:

Segment: cheaper than Jinjunmei, but genuine Tongmu Chigan still costs not little.
Main risk: “waishan” (外山) raw material from outside the reserve, sold as “zhengshan”.
Additional risk: flavouring and colouring of cheap tea to imitate the longan profile.

The market reality is that there is physically little “true mountain” tea and demand is high, therefore a significant portion of what is sold under the names Zhengshan Xiaozhong and Chigan is made from raw material from other areas. Distinguishing the genuine article is helped by a combination of signs: a natural, not “glued-on” note of longan, clean sweetness without harsh astringency, resilience to multiple infusions, an even dark-reddish leaf without dust and fragments, and a predictable, not cloying aftertaste. A suspiciously low price alongside a loud name is almost always a sign of “waishan”.

12. Interesting Facts:

Ancestor of red teas: Zhengshan Xiaozhong, to whose tradition Chigan belongs, is considered the progenitor of the entire class of red teas.
Etymology of “souchong”: the European name derives from the southern Fujian reading of the characters 小种.
Smoked and unsmoked: unlike classic lapsang, Chigan does not undergo smoking over pine and therefore reveals natural fruitiness.
Limited genuine supply: the protected regime around Tongmu does not allow plantations to be expanded, due to which the volume of authentic tea is small.

In conclusion:

Chigan Xiaozhong is a convenient entry point into the world of Tongmu red teas: it is cheaper than bud-only Jinjunmei, easier to understand for a beginner than smoky lapsang, and at the same time retains the recognisable “true mountain” character with a honey-fruity aroma and longan note. The division into Xiao and Da Chigan offers the opportunity to choose between a lighter and more floral or a denser and more mature profile, and the high resilience to infusions makes the tea rewarding for unhurried gongfu ceremony.

The main difficulty is connected not with the style itself, but with the origin: the name Zhengshan Xiaozhong and its gradations have long become common terms, and tea from outside the reserve is often sold under them. Conscious purchasing presupposes attention to the seller, a fair price and characteristic organoleptic signs, not only to a beautiful name on the packaging.

the teas described here are available from teamotea