Fu Brick Tea is a rather difficult topic. On the one hand, it is probably the most well-known and most widely available variation of Anhua Dark Tea. Indeed, it probably serves as an introduction to Anhua Dark Tea for many people. On the other hand, good quality Fu Brick Tea is not that easy to find, as it is often produced with low quality material.
Continue reading Introducing 2015 Big Leaves Fu Brick
‘Golden Flowers’ (金花) are what gives Fu Brick Tea its special character. We have realized that there is much misinformation circulating about these beneficial microorganisms, which are often surrounded in unnecessary mystery. In this post, we give you basic knowledge about these elusive ‘golden flowers’.
Continue reading Golden Flowers: demystifying Fu Brick Tea’s secret
This is a short account of how we unexpectedly came to discover 2010 Wild Big Leaves, a very fine aged Anhua Dark Tea.
Continue reading Discovering 2010 Wild Big Leaves
2018 Wild Tianjian is a very fine example of a hand processed Tianjian Tea made with leaves from untended plants growing in ideal conditions.
Continue reading Introducing 2018 Wild Tianjian
Any tea variety is always a reflection of its place of origin. The soil imparts its qualities to the tea plants and the weather influences how the leaves are processed. Local customs and eating habits also play a role.
Continue reading The geographical origins of Anhua Dark Tea
Meishan Treasures is our tea club for those who, like us, drink Anhua Dark Tea on a regular basis and wish to have access to all its range of tastes and experiences.
Continue reading Meishan Treasures (tea club)
‘Heicha’ is a tea term that is sometimes used rather freely and requires some explanation. In this post we clarify its exact meaning along with other related tea naming practices.
Continue reading Heicha and related tea jargon and naming explained
Sometimes people like to know who is behind a website. We understand this and feel it is a fair request. Instead of writing a long post, we created a video collage of pictures of us in Anhua County, Hunan Province.
Continue reading Behind the scenes
Anhua Dark Tea is certainly one of the tea varieties that requires the most processing steps. While every single step has its purpose in the making of the final product, none is as defining as the Qixing Stove (七星灶) sequence. It is also unique to Anhua Dark Tea. All its variations go through it.
Continue reading Qixing Stove, the tool that gives Anhua Dark Tea its soul
The final compression is an important processing step for all sizes of Huajuan Tea (Shiliang Tea, Bailiang Tea, Qianliang Tea). The steamed leaves are compressed into their three layers of vegetal wrapping, before resting in the open air for about a month.
The video below shows the different tools and actions involved in this key processing step.
Continue reading Bailiang Tea compression