Abstract: Dark tea is made from fresh leaves or mature shoots of tea plants (Camellia sinensis). Its manufacture process includes fixing, rolling, stacking and drying. The healthy benefits of dark tea attracted much attention. So far, a large number of in vitro experiments and animal model studies have revealed the potentially preventive effects of functional components in dark tea on some diseases, including hyperglycemia, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and many other diseases. During the past ten years, there had made a huge advance in research on functional components and healthy benefits of dark tea. These results not only provided a reliable theoretical basis for better understanding of health effects of dark tea, but also played an important role in promoting dark tea consumption. In this paper, the characteristics of dark tea and the progress of health effects of dark tea during the past five years were reviewed. The direction for future research was also proposed.

Key words: dark tea, health effects, quality characteristics, recent advances