Hunan Dark Tea is one of the six major tea categories, a fully fermented tea produced through unique processes such as killing green, rolling, pile fermentation, baking, and drying to create a dark tea series with distinctive flavors. It mainly includes brick tea, Xiangjian, and Huajuan. Among them, Fuzhuan from brick tea and Qianliang tea and Bailiang tea from Huajuan are the most popular varieties; all Huajuan and some Fuzhuan teas are handmade. Huajuan tea is rolled into a cylindrical shape, while Fuzhuan Tea is brick-shaped. In terms of aging, the longer the storage time, the higher the value and price of the dark tea; in terms of craftsmanship, handmade teas are generally more expensive than machine-pressed ones.

Hunan Dark Tea has a unique color, aroma, and taste effect, with a red and thick tea soup, mellow aroma, rich flavor, and sweet aftertaste; it has good conditioning and health care functions for the human body. Hunan Dark Tea is called "Slimming Tea" by the Japanese, "Beauty Tea" by Koreans, and "Slim Health Tea" by Southeast Asians, making it the preferred beverage for lowering the "three highs."

Dark tea has effects such as aiding digestion, reducing greasiness, lowering the three highs, and weight loss. Especially, aged tea has significant benefits for people with poor gastrointestinal health in regulating the stomach and intestines. The longer the time, the mellower the flavor of dark tea, and the better its health functions are exerted. Tea leaves of the Fuzhuan and Qianliang tea varieties contain Eurotium cristatum, commonly known as "golden flowers." So far, this fungus can only be found in lingzhi mushrooms and plays a role in lowering blood lipids and promoting digestion. Aged dark tea undergoes post-fermentation during storage. Through the participation of microorganisms, the large molecules of "golden flowers" break down into smaller molecules, splitting more Eurotium cristatum, which is the reason for the high value of aged dark tea.