‘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’.
- Golden Flowers can be found in all varieties of dark tea.
- They will develop in some dark teas, if the needed storage conditions, especially humidity and temperature, are met.
- In the case of Anhua Dark Tea, they are not necessarily welcomed by producers for most variations, because they will somewhat change the character of the tea.
- Fu Brick Tea is the only variation of Anhua Dark Tea that is intentionally produced in such a way that it develops Golden Flowers.
- In the case of Fu Brick Tea, they are not the result of ageing. The last processing step (slow baking) creates the conditions for them to appear.
- Fu Brick Tea’s relatively loose compression and its required amount of stems are also favourable for their development.
- The slow baking processing step, which lasts for many days and requires a lot of attention, makes them appear naturally, if successful. There is no inoculation, as we have been asked by some customers. At least there should not be and there absolutely is none in the teas in our shop!
- Fu Brick Tea does not require special storage conditions because of its Golden Flowers. Like all dark teas it should be kept away from direct contact to sunlight and too much humidity.
- The quality of a Fu Brick Tea does not depend on the quantity of its Golden Flowers. Too much is not a good sign as it will completely cover the taste of the leaves.
- In the right proportion, they will convey to Fu Brick Tea a distinctive yet hard to describe mellow taste.
