2022 Hunan Golden Flower Dark Tea | Tian Chi Hu Fu Zhuan Hei Cha - brick 500 g - Option: 1 kg

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125,60 € incl. VAT

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GT1134-1000

Fuzhuan Cha is a traditional dark tea originating from the mountainous Anhua region of Hunan province. It is famous for the characteristic “golden flowers” (金花 Jinhua) that develop during its unique fermentation process. For centuries this tea has been an important part of the tea culture of north-western China and is appreciated today for its deep flavour, gentle sweetness and rich cultural heritage. More

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Description
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Fuzhuan Cha is one of the best known dark teas (hei cha 黑茶) produced in Hunan province. Its history is closely connected with the traditional tea trade routes that carried tea from central China to the northern and western regions, where it became an important part of everyday life for nomadic cultures such as Mongols, Tibetans and Uyghurs.

In these regions fresh vegetables were historically less available, and tea therefore played an important role in the local diet and culture. Over time it became more than just a beverage. Traditional stories even say that people of the steppe could endure several days without food, but not a single day without tea.

The county of Anhua 安化 lies in the Wuling mountain range in western Hunan. The area is covered with deep forests and benefits from a remarkably clean natural environment. Its geology is also unique, including ancient glacial sedimentary rocks formed hundreds of millions of years ago. These conditions provide an excellent environment for growing high quality tea.

The name Fuzhuan Cha refers to the traditional production season of this tea, which takes place during the hot summer period. During the maturation process a specific microorganism, Eurotium cristatum, naturally develops in the tea and forms the characteristic yellow-gold dots known as “golden flowers” (金花 Jinhua). These are a typical sign of well-matured Fuzhuan tea.

The fermentation process responsible for these golden flowers gradually transforms the character of the tea. The infusion is usually rich and smooth, with a gentle sweetness and a deep flavour typical of dark teas from Hunan.

Traditional tea culture in Xinjiang region

During the period of planned economy in the 20th century, Fuzhuan Cha was produced mainly for supply to the north-western regions of China, especially Xinjiang. It was rarely available in other parts of the country. Only later did it gradually become more widely appreciated across China and abroad.

Today Fuzhuan Cha is valued not only in China but also internationally. The traditional fermentation process has attracted long-term interest from Japanese researchers, and Japan has become one of the important importers of this unique tea.

Note: For teas such as Fu Zhuan (茯砖茶, fú zhuān chá) and other compressed teas, it is completely natural for their weight to change over time. After pressing, the tea may weigh, for example, 500 g, but during aging it gradually loses moisture, and therefore part of its weight. This process is entirely normal and is related to long-term storage and the slow maturation of the tea.

Parameters

Form	brick (zhuan) 500 g
Country of origin	China
Province	Hunan
Location	Anhua, Yuntaishan 云台山
Garden	Tian Chi Hu 天池湖
Cultivar	Yun Tai Shan Da Ye 云台山大叶
From seeds	Yes
Organically grown	Yes

Post-fermented Teas Hei Cha 黑茶

Dark tea (Hei Cha 黑茶) is post-fermented tea, which means that after the tea leaves are oxidized after harvesting, they undergo accelerated controlled fermentation. For accelerated fermentation, the wet layering process ((Wo Dui 渥堆) is most often used, when biochemical reactions occur under the influence of microorganisms. In oxidation, biochemical reactions occur when interacting with atmospheric oxygen and typically last for several hours. The fermentation process can take several hours to several months, but can then continue without limitation for decades.

Fu Zhuan Cha 茯磚茶 - Tea Brick from Hunan

Dark tea has a long history in China, with different types produced in several provinces. The most important types include dark tea from Hunan, and its most distinctive variant is Fuzhuan Cha. The origin of Fuzhuan Cha dark tea is closely related to the nomadic peoples of northern and western China, such as the Mongols, Tibetans and Uighurs. Their diet, rich in meat, milk and bread, lacks fiber and vitamins, making tea essential for digestion and nutritional balance. They consider tea indispensable, even more so than food for a short time.

Eurotium cristatum (Golden Flower)

Eurotium cristatum (E. cristatum), commonly known as “golden flower”, is the dominant strain in the microbial fermentation process of Fu brick tea. E. cristatum has favorable biological characteristics, including enzyme production, antimicrobial properties, immune regulation, antitumor properties, fat reduction capabilities, and weight loss benefits. With its probiotic characteristics, E. cristatum can be combined with different varieties of tea substrates to make a variety of fermented teas. More importantly, in the process of tea fermentation, E. cristatum can secrete a variety of extracellular enzymes, including some hydrolytic enzymes and oxidoreductases. They metabolize and transform various chemical components in tea through a series of reactions such as oxidation, degradation, and condensation, which significantly affect the quality of tea.