Shaanxi Fu hei cha processed Lincang material

 

The last review of an Oriental Leaf tea (sent by them for review; many thanks!) was of a relatively unusual type, a Shou Mei white tea used for secondary Fu hei cha style processing.  It was good, and of course unique.  This could be just about anything, based on that.

I wrote the review notes without knowing what it was, which I looked up later.

Chang’an Golden Flower Fu Brick Tea Mini Cake 2022 – Yunnan Leaf, Shaanxi Fermentation

In ancient China, tea merchants carried Raw Mao Cha (黑毛茶) tea from the misty Southern China mountains to the imperial capital of Chang’an, where it became beloved for its warming, restorative character during long Silk Road journeys. Our Chang’an Golden Flower Fu Brick Tea Mini Cake pays homage to that tradition, marrying first-grade Yunnan Lincang 临沧 dark tea leaves with the historic Jingyang 泾阳 fermentation that nurtures the signature “Golden Flower” probiotic bloom.

Beneath its smooth black-brown surface lies an amber-red liquor reminiscent of aged whisky or polished carnelian—bright, clear, and resilient across many infusions. The aroma evokes toasted wood, aged barn oak, and a gentle hint of honeyed dates, while the palate unfolds with velvety malt sweetness, subtle nutty tones, and a whisper of warm earth. Its finish is clean, slightly sticky-sweet like glutinous rice candy, leaving a long-lasting, soothing warmth.

Unlike dense traditional bricks, this 60g thin mini cake breaks apart easily by hand—ideal for gifting, travel, or brewing a single session without waste. Its Chinese name, “Bashui Run Chang’an” (“八水绕长安 Eight Waters Nourish Chang’an”), celebrates the life-giving rivers that cradle the ancient capital of the Tang Dynasty, infusing each cup with the poetic soul of Shaanxi.

So it's something different, again.  Really it would help to unpack more about that general tea type, and distinctive type-typical local variations from that area (Shaanxi province), but I may never get around to that.

I should clarify that Oriental Leaf may specialize in hei cha, and Fu brick style teas, but they sell a broad range.  I think they're sending me these more interesting versions just now because they think I'd find them interesting, and I do.

Review:

#1:  it's tempting to guess the tea type even before listing out aspects.  It's in between black and hei cha styles, it seems.  The color is reddish; that's typically oxidation.  Flavors, the primary range, are mostly black tea oriented, towards fruit and floral, with pleasant mineral grounding that, maybe into dark wood a bit.  But there's something else, a type of spice range that's unique.  And malt; that's back to standard black tea character.  

Maybe there's even a little distinctive sourness, which can come up in some types of black tea, but which stand out in different ways in hei cha.  I'll try a second round to get a different perspective on the tea, brewing it a little lighter, since I let this go a little long, to get the compressed tea to open up.

#2:  woodiness picks up a bit.  Intensity is considerable, especially considering this was a flash infusion.  Proportion is higher than it needed to be, even though it's just in the normal range that I use.  That distinctive spice note stands out.  It's almost closer to what I've experienced in different tisane ranges before, than in standard tea.  It's hard to put a name or type to that though.  It's not dis-similar to some heavier flavor floral herbs, like roselle.  A different part relates a lot more to a bark spice herb, or the like.  To use tasting shorthand people often reference something tasting medicinal, when it's hard to place; I guess that works.  I take that to mean "vaguely like ginseng," but of course it would mean different things.  

It's less similar to a standard black tea form, this round.  Those other flavors pick up, even a range I'm describing as sourness, which people might place in different ways.  Do you know how when you sharpen a pencil in an old-style sharpener, how that graphite mineral smell and the well-cured wood smell mix, in a much more sweet and aromatic form than a bit of wood and graphite shavings should produce?  It's like that.  But a bit more earthiness enters in, like a touch of dried mushroom.  Floral and fruit tones are also present, but they're hard to describe in a distinct way.

#3:  it all ties together all the better.  It may just be how I interpret it, versus an objectively clear transition pattern, but the fruit seems to pick up a bit now.  It's at the overlap between heavy floral range and dried fruit, towards Chinese date, jujube.

It would be funny if this was a tisane blend.  It's too complex, and expresses too much of what stands out in "real tea."  But a tisane like willow herb (fireweed / Ivan chay) can be quite complex, and it's typically not so different than this.  I think this still has too much complexity and depth for it to be that.  There's a limited range and depth to all tisanes, for the most part, which can be hard to work around even when blending inputs.  Real tea gives you that complexity, structure, full feel, and aftertaste input.

Again I'm stumped, for the second time in a row.  I'll try a couple more infusions to discuss transitions, then check what this is.

#4:  it's evolving, just not changing too much.  That distinctive sourness is fading, and richer fruit and floral tones stand out all the more.  If someone used half this proportion that could've potentially happened a little faster, and the final infusion count wouldn't go as far.  

Feel is nice in this, full and rich.  Sweetness is good; without that this particular flavor set wouldn't tie together as well.  It might be that only someone open to novel experiences would like this.  It's really not so far off black tea character, as some flavor aspects go, and it could just be that, but it would have to be a very distinctive version of that, something really different.  But it's not like hei cha forms I'm familiar with either.

#5:  I read what this is:  it's Lincang Assamica material processed using Fu hei cha methods, including exposure to the Golden Flowers fungus.  Cool!  Their description (cited above) is as close as I'm probably getting.  It's interesting that it turns out like this, from those starting points.

Conclusions:

Another fascinating and novel tea, something completely different.  The character was clearly positive, beyond the novelty, including complexity, depth, and balance.  Not everyone would appreciate this experience, but then that's common ground for both pu'er and hei cha experience (or if someone sees them as parts of the same set then that's redundant, unless you add an "other" back in modifying hei cha).

Our descriptions weren't identical but they overlapped quite a bit, and the spirit was the same, just different ways of describing the same tea.  Often vendors hold back from being that descriptive, for a few good reasons.  Teas can change over time, so then a few years later a description might seem off.  And people tend to interpret experiences differently, so conveying the general spirit might still seem to miss getting details right.  It's possible that a vendor might describe a tea in the best possible light, for example leaving "sourness" out as a description, which could seem like adding a biased spin, even though again the aspects list conclusion is fairly subjective.

This tea costs $18 for 60 grams, but it's hard to interpret that value part since this tea probably doesn't exist in any similar form from any other source.  That's costly as hei cha goes, but hei cha comes in a broad range of forms and quality levels.  This quality level of hei cha is unusual, and the style is a lot more novel than that.  It's made from pu'er material, it would seem, one main input to that cost.  I don't think that a per-gram price means much, since that kind of comparison just can't be done.  It works out to 30 cents a gram, for what that's worth.

Intensity of this tea stands out; that could be easy to miss, in a comment about it being a bit too strong for my typical proportion, which I'm using for young sheng pu'er.  It's fine if you flash brew it, not too strong, but using less would make more sense.  That intensity makes sense given that it's Lincang material, which one would expect to be bitter (in the sheng form, maybe not prepared as a hei cha), sweet, clean and complex (in good quality versions), and intense.

In the end this is pretty far from the character of typical inexpensive, lower quality material based Fu zhuan or Fu brick versions (which can be nice; a rough edge here or there doesn't always take much away from pleasant character and interesting flavors).  Let's check Google AI's input about that:

Fu zhuan is a type of Chinese dark tea (hei cha) from Hunan Province that is pressed into bricks and fermented to develop a beneficial fungus called "golden flower" (\(jinhua\)). This unique process gives it a distinctive taste, often described as sweet and herbal with woody notes, and it is historically linked to helping nomads with their high-meat diets. It is known for its potential health benefits, including supporting digestion and has a smooth mouthfeel that is very flexible for brewing.  

Just to clarify this is the production origin site:  Fermentation Site: Jingyang, Shaanxi, China

That description isn't too far off (sweet, herbal, woody).  What I was describing as medicinal bark spice can be interpreted more simply as wood character.  Or as aged barn oak, per the vendor's take.  It's complex enough that a broad range of interpretations would be possible.  And at the same time clean enough in effect that beyond a touch of distinctive sourness (which does seem related to the Golden Flowers typical input, now that I think it through) that there aren't many off or negative aspects to describe in any way.  

It's main strength and weakness is that it's unusual, which people could take in different ways.  The aspects character part is nice.

Jingyang Fu Tea hei cha, a version with golden flowers

A company called Oriental Leaf sent some teas for review; many thanks for that.  Their flagship product range seems to be Fu brick tea hei cha, the kind that often includes golden flowers, a type of fungus.  This is described as positive; I'm sure that it's safe.  I've had tea with this fungus in it before and the experience was quite positive.  This review describes a version (from Yunnan Sourcing), and what that type of fungus is.

The web page listing identifies price and what the tea is:

YXT Jingyang Fu Tea Classic Yellow Can 300g (listing for 1860 baht, $51)

This is a Fu brick tea, a type of post-fermented tea. The tea is covered with golden flowers, also known as Eurotium cristatum, a beneficial enzyme-producing fungus. It grows naturally during the Fu brick tea production process and is a crucial indicator of the quality of the tea. In other words, the more denser the golden flowers, the better. This tea has a unique tea aroma produced by the golden flowers. It has a very thick, rich taste and will give you sweetness in the mouth and throat...

It is part of the YXT classic Yellow Can series, renowned for its robust jujube aroma, abundant golden flowers, and a distinctly pure fragrance. The tea is crafted from Maocha harvested between 2019 and 2022 in the southern foothills of the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi...

...The naturally occurring golden flowers are plump and abundant, contributing to the tea's visual and aromatic appeal. Employing traditional tea-making techniques dating back to 1368, acknowledged as an intangible cultural heritage, the tea is produced in a 5000-square-meter dust-free workshop at the factory, ensuring the highest quality standards are maintained.

This tea is exceptionally friendly to first-time Fu tea drinkers, offering a smooth and mellow taste. I personally brewed this tea more than 15 times in succession, and the flavor remained consistent. Moreover, as you progress through subsequent infusions, the taste becomes increasingly sweet. I highly recommend this tea for those venturing into Fu tea for the first time.

**This tea has a higher-quality product in RED can. Feel free to check it out. [YXT Jingyang Fu Tea Classic RED Can 300g]

Pretty good, for covering some basics.  The quality of this seemed pretty good to me too, for this being a product they sell a slightly better version of.  17 cents per gram sounds quite reasonable.  There is a different amount option and sample listing that runs higher in per-unit cost, and that's fine too, different options for trying teas or buying more once you know that you like them.  

Fu brick and other hei cha tend to be sold in rather large pressed portions, as somewhat inexpensive tea versions.  Quality and character can vary a good bit though, and the value is different related to how pleasant a tea seems.

Review:

Infusion #1:  to rinse or not rinse; for once I don't really know the conventional answer.  I'd guess that more people rinse this.  It's hei cha, and that's standard for those, and this is literally covered with fungus.  I'll try the first round anyway, and if it seems a little odd I'll let it go.  

I'm sure this is safe anyway; even for heavily fermented sheng and for shou that risk from fermentation by-products is described as low in level, so that the rinse step relates to removing limited trace contact with toxins that could add up in effect over months and years, and lots of exposure.  Since I'm almost never drinking this tea type that kind of factor doesn't matter.

It's different, but it matches what I remember of related experience.  Warm bread-like tones stand out, with a particular yeasty aspect a main part of the experience.  I think this will deepen and develop in complexity so doing a full breakdown now doesn't make much sense.

I did drink half of it, and threw some out, so half was rinse?  That makes no sense.  There's a good bit of fungus in this still so the idea can't be removing all of that or all of the secondary by-products from it.

#2:  intensity picks way up, and some complexity along with it.  Of course a deep, dark bread, yeasty aspect range is still present.  Mentioning "dark bread" doesn't capture how complex and pleasant that experience is.  Adding types like pumpernickel or dark rye isn't so descriptive either, but it's along those lines.  

Sweetness is good, and lighter tone range balances the heavier range.  A layer of light and warm mineral supports the rest, a little like the clay smell present in the type of soil back in Pennsylvania, which is quite different here (the smell of clay in the soil), and in Hawaii.  An aftertaste component that's tied to the rest, but not identical, supports the effect of complexity.

For people who have tried Fu brick teas with golden flowers what I'm struggling to express is already clear, and for others it may not get there.  Maybe secondary positive or off aspects would define what is most exceptional or not as desirable in this range.  I'm at that level of familiarity for pu'er, but not Fu tea.  I'll have to go with just describing it.

#3:  one part picks up, but it's hard to describe this as any set of individual parts, or flavor aspects.  So far I've been relying on dark bread, yeast, and clay as comparisons, but they're not a perfect parallel.

I suppose it's the yeastiness that increases.  If you taste something like sticky buns while they're still rising, the dough, a pronounced warm yeast aspect stands out, a little different than from fresh homemade bread or pizza dough, and it's like that.  Caramel or toffee sweetness might be reminding me of that; it might be the reason I refer to that distinction.  Sweetness is still pleasant, pronounced, and the overall effect is very clean in relation to this tasting as earthy as this does.  In between spice and earth, I guess dark bread falls.

Related to subjective preference, which varies by person, and isn't such a clear yardstick, I like this quite a bit more than shou pu'er.  Some yeasty variations of shou, like what I've tried as smaller batch versions from Russia, are kind of similar, but to me this balances that yeast-like range better with the rest.  It doesn't taste like wet cardboard, which can come up for some shou pu'er; it's a little closer to nutmeg.  It might resemble an aromatic wood component too, or rather a supporting component does, that makes up the distinction between peat-intensive shou and this much lighter bread and spice Fu flavor profile.

Our cats are very drawn to try to reach and lay down in a "wardrobe," or large wooden cabinet for clothes, the one my wife uses, upstairs in our house, which is made of aromatic tropical wood.  This scent resembles that.  Of course the cats aren't supposed to do that, and we have no idea why her closet / cabinet, right beside mine, is so appealing.  I don't know the name of that wood type.  It might be teak, or maybe just something related.  I doubt that you could buy such a thing today, related to restrictions on harvesting tropical lumber; it's a carry-over from her family being fairly prosperous in the first half and middle of the 20th century.

#4:  intensity keeps up, but then I am brewing this pretty strong, using a high proportion and intermediate infusion timing, maybe 20 seconds.  There is no negative range to brew around, no pronounced bitterness, astringency, or overly strong flavor range, so it could work at any intensity.

Flavors are pretty strong; brewed this way feel is quite full and aftertaste experience is pronounced.  I think spice range seems to be picking up.  It's not exactly nutmeg, as I've already mentioned, closer to incense spice, sandalwood or frankincense, which I don't remember the scents of, since my new age renewal days are long since over, back in the mid 90s.

Pleasantness stands out, a subjective reaction instead of set of aspect experiences.  That warm, rich spice or wood tone is quite pleasant, and all the other complexity, sweetness, fullness, and mild character supports it well.  It seems a bit refined, as hei cha goes, an elusive character that (to me) marks out a more ideal range.  Lots of hei cha is nice, but they tend to be thin across part of the range, or have a bit of an off input, a little extra smoke, earthiness, harsher mineral, or off spice tone.  If this tasted more like semi-cured hardwood instead of tropical wood and spice it would still be nice, but not this nice.

#5:  I'm trying this round brewed light, closer to 10 seconds instead, to see how that changes things.

Lighter flavors stand out, with the trade-off of depth and intensity being limited.  Aftertaste is less pronounced.  This may still be transitioning to slightly warmer tones anyway, moving on from lighter dark bread range to even darker dark bread range.  Usually extending brew times in later rounds causes that kind of shift to heavier tones, but this was the opposite context.  

I think that I could drink a lot of this, a kg of it.  Or then again I'd probably still crave sheng pu'er more, so I might not get to it so often if I owned that much.  I like it better than shou and aged white teas, two other ranges that might be partly comparable in terms of aspects.  Oolongs are just different.  This is as approachable as mild but somewhat intense Wuyi Yancha, and completely different in specific flavor set, but not completely different in overall effect.

It would be fine as a breakfast tea.  I think the quality of this particular version is good enough that it would make sense in the other use too, as a tea you focus on experiencing for 45 minutes or so, when free time is open.  To me since it's a little simpler and less intense than sheng it would stand in as a pleasant part of that experience, but not necessarily as naturally as the main focus of it.  

To me a lot of the aged factory sheng pu'er people are always into are a little like that, what 20 year old versions are like now, pretty much all the CNNP range.  It would be interesting to just focus on that the first few times you try it, then from there it could be a main part of a special experience, but perhaps not the focus of it.  For having friends over sure, but not for being the main focus of a Saturday morning long session over and over.

#6:  brewed a little longer warmer tones come out all the more.  It's not transitioning much; I guess that's not a part of the experience.  You can get some of the same effect from varying infusion times, since it's good at different strengths, drinking it as slightly different forms of tea.  I'll give it one more longish 20+ second soak and the next round will be final thoughts, even though this will keep going.

#7:  quite pleasant still, still complex, layered, and interesting, while being clean and approachable at the same time.  One part is still actually catchy, that yeasty warm bread tone, and the rest is still relatively complex in supporting that.

Conclusions:

This is one of the better hei cha versions I've ever tried.  I may have only tried a two or three yellow-flower inoculated Fu brick teas before, so I'm not working from that much depth of experience for the specific type, but I have tried dozens of other hei cha versions (not counting pu'er--that count is crazy), and this is clearly quite good quality tea.  

[later edit]:  I made some minor revisions, and it seems appropriate to add a comment here about an apparent contradiction this caused.  The description said that this is naturally occurring fungus (a passage added later), and I've just said that it's intentionally inoculated.  It doesn't make that much difference.  If the tea was produced and stored in a place with a lot of that fungus already present it would be around to contact and grow on the tea, and then a producer may or may not transfer it to the tea more directly.  I don't see this as one of those critical points where the story needs to be pinned down one way or another.  If it does seem so to readers then further review of other sources about the type might add more on it.

If you were to order a half dozen random versions online there is a good chance that none would be this good.  It matches the typical type flavor range (per my understanding), includes great flavor depth and complexity, matches some standard markers for quality (thickness of feel and aftertaste), brews a good number of positive rounds, and lacks flaws.  The price seems quite fair, given that quality level.

That's how the curator vendor theme is supposed to work, but you just never know.  Of course every sales site describes teas positively.  One might think that depth of background information correlates to tea quality, or that a sales site should seem a certain way, but in the end you really have to try the tea.  Or to accept input from another reference, but it would work to be careful about that.  Few people have tried an extensive range of teas, and even if they have a reviewer might spin certain products more positively for their own reasons.

Why would I not be doing that?  For people with the patience to have read a large of number of reviews, and to have tried some of the same teas themselves, they would have a sense of how to take input here.  If this is the first post content anyone has read from this blog then there would be no indicator or baseline.

To me more Chinese-side vendors turning up is a fantastic sign for the Western tea industry.  For a long time we've been at the mercy of Western facing sites like Yunnan Sourcing, Chawang Shop, and King Tea Mall to access teas like this.  Those sources are fine, and value is actually pretty decent from all of them, but quality level and value can vary for each (by product, more so than in general), and the range isn't even close to what Chinese teas are accessible in the Chinese market.  Per my understanding, at least, based on hearsay input from lots of people, in China and just familiar with the industry there.  

Chinese vendors reaching across the aisle to make teas available in "the West" could add real competition, and could gradually change things.  In many cases this would relate to sales of low quality, over-hyped, still moderately priced versions, which is something, maybe better as a starting point for exploration than for experienced tea enthusiasts to try the most interesting versions.  

It's my impression that this source is offering a slightly better quality range version, at least in this one case, which is all that I've tried so far.  That alone could be very inconsistent; a vendor selling one great quality tea at good value doesn't mean much in relation to the rest of their product range.  I'll try a couple more types they sent and check back in about how those work out.

playing with a cousin, the sweetest little girl

both my kids