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