I tried a few dark teas from Anhua, but none of them tasted like this. I knew that there were different types of dark tea coming from Hunan province. I could distinguish between Fuzhian brick tea and others. But I did not realise until I tasted this tea and researched other types of Anhua Dark Tea that actually there are three major types. This resource explains it well: San Jian Tea, Qian Liang Tea and Fuzhuan Brick Tea.
This tea belongs to San Jian family. This tea is plucked during the rainy season when the leaves are tender. It has three grades including tian Jian, gong Jian and Sheng Jian teas and tian Jian is made from the most delicate leaves out of them and slightly better quality than the others.
What shocked me was the strong smoky aroma and taste of this tea. I have never tasted a similar dark tea in my life and had no clue that dark tea is available as smoked. The level of smokiness was hefty to my liking and almost felt artificial. I think I will not know whether I had the real deal or not unless I try a reliable version of this tea.
Overall, an exciting find, but I cannot say I enjoyed this tea.
Tea profile:
Type: Dark tea
Origin: Anhua, Hunan Harvest time: 2018
Leaf colour: Tones of brown and green with some white fuzz Liquor colour: Bright orange
Tea Aroma: Woody and smoky
Tea taste: Heavy smokiness
Steeping: Place 6 g of this tea in a porcelain gaiwan and add about 100 ml water at around 100°C. Rinse after 5 sec. Steep for 10 seconds for the second time and increase the consecutive steeping time by 10 seconds. You can steep this tea multiple times.
Shelf life: Can be aged.