congou tea

8.5

A type of Chinese black tea made from rolled leaves with a smooth, mild taste

noun
/kɒŋˈɡuː tiː/

: té congou

She served a pot of congou tea with delicate pastries in the afternoon.

Examples

The shop imports rare congou tea directly from China.
I enjoy drinking congou tea in the morning.
He preferred congou tea for its rich aroma and smooth taste.
Have you tried congou tea from China?
He preferred congou tea for its rich aroma and smooth taste.
She served a pot of congou tea with delicate pastries during afternoon tea.
The shop imports high-quality congou tea directly from China for its unique flavor.

Synonyms

souchong

vscongou tea

1 9.9

A Chinese black tea with large leaves and a strong smoky taste

stresses careful rolling and a milder smoother flavor

congou

vscongou tea

9.9

A high quality Chinese black tea with rolled leaves and a smooth taste

focuses more on a smooth mellow flavor achieved by careful rolling

soochong

vscongou tea

9.9

A fine black tea from China with a smooth, light taste

emphasizes careful rolling and a smooth mellow taste

congo

vscongou tea

Archaic

9.9

A strong black tea grown in China with a rich flavour

refers to a processed rolled-leaf tea known for smooth mellow flavor

Surface Forms

congou tea singular

congou teas plural

Morphology

congou + tea

The meaning is directly derivable from combining a variety name 'congou' with the general noun 'tea' — i.e. 'tea of the congou variety' — so the composition is fully compositional. Although 'congou' is a specialized/rare lexical item, the compound pattern 'X tea' is standard and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand the MWE.

Etymology

Congou tea may come from the Chinese word gongfu, which means 'skill' or 'careful work'. Tea makers rolled and handled the leaves with great care to make a smooth, mellow drink, so the name links that careful method to the tea's rich taste.