Tea: 2014 Anhua Heicha (安化黑茶）
Type: Tian Jian Anhua Heicha 天尖安化黑茶
Fermentation Level: Medium
Harvest: Spring 2014
Press Date: Autumn 2014
Press Size: 1000g
Region: Gaoma Terroir Region, Anhua.
Producer: Lexian Tea House
Tasting Notes: Smoked Chicory, Sea Salt, Sweet Marjoram, Moss, Sage
Similar to the 2018 Tianjian from Seven Bowls, this Anhua Heicha has been steamed and pressed into a bamboo bundle (literally basket 篓). The leaves are loosely compressed and it is easy to remove whole strips. Similar to the Seven Bowls' Tianjian, this tea also has a large number of stems which in age turn sweet.
The fermentation on this tea is significantly lighter than that of the Seven Bowls Tianjian, and as a result, the flavors are drastically different. Here the fragrances off the wet leaves is one of sweet chicory and mossy stones. The liquor is a much cleaner pale amber, and the flavor is light with edges of minerality more clearly expressed in this more cleanly fermented tea.
There is a saline presence that leaves the mouth salivating after each infusion, but it lacks the full bodied power of the Seven Bowls' Tianjian. This is a great tea for those who want a lighter, cleaner Anhua Heicha experience, in opposition to the more traditional, slightly smokey, powerful brew that is more commonly found in Anhua Heichas.
