What is Hunan Anhua Dark Tea?

What is Anhua Dark Tea?

- Origin: Anhua, Hunan

- Tea Nature: Post-fermented tea, mild in nature

- Classification: Brick Dark Tea (three types), Jian Dark Tea(three types), Huajuan Dark Tea (one type)

• Three types of brick dark tea: Fu brick, Dark brick and Hua brick
• Three grades of Jian Dark Tea: Tian Jian, Gong Jian and Sheng Jian
• Huajuan Dark Tea: also known as Hua Roll tea with various weight specs (1000 Liang, 100 Liang, 16 Liang, etc.)

- Key Process: Pile fermentation

- Honors:

• Chinese National Geographic Indication Product
• "The Drink of Life" among Northwest Pastoralists
• One type of Tribute Tea during the Ming and Qing Dynasties

- Characteristics: Internal transformation potentiality. It is said the longer of storage time, the better taste, and suitable for all ages and genders

Anhua Dark Tea - Fu Brick

- Form: Tightly compressed brick tea.

- Classification: Hand-made compressed bricks, machine-made bricks.

- Key Process: Flowering (generate eurotium cristatum-gloden flower).

- Characteristics

• Dry tea: dark brown, oily and glossy, with golden flowers.
• Tea soup color: Bright orange-red.
• Aroma: fungus flower scent.
• Flavor: Rich, mellow and full in mouthfeel.

- Golden Flowers: Eurotium cristatum, produced during the flowering process, praised as a "mystical flower" during the ancient Silk Road times.

Anhua Dark Tea - Dark Brick Tea

- Origin: Named for its dark-brown color and tightly compressed brick.

- Form: Tightly compressed brick tea.

- Classification: Hand-made and machine-made.

- Characteristics

• Dry tea: dark-brown, oily and glossy
• Tea soup color: bright orange-yellow
• Aroma: pure and unadulterated
• Taste: rich, mellow and full in mouthfeel
• The brick is tightly compressed, with dark and lustrous appearance.

Anhua Dark Tea - Hua Brick

- Origin: Evolved from Huajuan tea, named for the decorative patterns surrounding the brick.

- Form: Tightly pressed brick tea.

- Characteristics

• Dry tea: shiny dark-brown with decorative designs.
• Tea soup color: bright orange-yellow.
• Aroma: pure and unadulterated.
• Taste: rich, mellow and full in mouthfeel.

- Patterns: The decorative patterns around the brick edges are clear and beautiful.

Anhua Dark Tea - Tianjian tea.

- Origin: Known as “a Tea for the Son of Heaven" in ancient times

- Form: Loose tea

- Key Process: Seven star stove baking

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- Raw Material Grade: Special and Grade One Raw dark tea, high tenderness and high grade

- Characteristics

• Dry Tea: Tightly rolled, dark and glossy
• Aroma: Pure or with pine smoke scent
• Tea Soup Color: Orange Yellow
• Taste: Rich and mellow

Anhua Dark Tea - Gong Jian

- Origin: Named for its high quality, once regarded as tribute tea to the emperor.

- Form: Loose tea.

- Key Process: Seven star stove baking

- Material Grade: First grade and second grade raw dark tea, slightly lower in grade than Tian Jian.

- Characteristics

• Dry tea: Relatively tight rolled, dark and lustrous in color.
• Aroma: Pure or with pine smoke scent.
• Tea Soup color: Orange-yellow.
• Taste: Rich and mellow.

Anhua Dark Tea - Sheng Jian.

- Origin: Named for its high quality, once regarded as tribute tea to the emperor

- Form: Loose tea

- Key Process: Tea Roasting Oven with Seven Holes.

- Raw Material Grade: Second grade and third grade raw Dark tea, slightly lower grade than Gong Jian.

- Characteristics

• Dry tea: slightly tight, dark and glossy color.
• Aroma: Pure or with pine smoke scent.
• Tea soup color: Orange-yellow.
• Taste: Rich and mellow.

Anhua Dark tea - Huajuan Tea

- Origin: To facilitate transportation, it is tightly compressed and rolled into a cylindrical shape, wrapping with flower-patterned bamboo basket, hence the name.

- Classification: With different specs, Thousand-liang tea, hundred-liang tea, sixteen-liang tea, etc. (Liang: here means the ancient Chinese weight measurement of unit)

- Form: Cylindrical and compressed tea

- Key Craft: Foot-Pressing (intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship)

- Characteristics

• Dry tea: uniform and upright in shape, robust and stout, with a deep dark color, distinct flower-pattern, and tightly compressed
• Aroma: pure and with golden flower fragrant or pine smoke scent
• Tea soup color: orange-yellow or yellow-orange
• Taste: mellow and mild

Sources: China Tea (Hunan) , China Tea Anhua No.1 Tea Factory, August 19, 2024