A few principles

How to store my teas has for a long time been a subject of concern. Especially as I was beginning to build my collection, I was worried to damage the outcome of my sourcing trips. In the midst of many conflicting theories, I did not have enough experience to know if I was doing it right.

The more time went by, the more I realized that it was not such an arcane matter as some would suggest. However, there are some easy basic principles that need to be followed:

• no contact with sunlight
• no contact with dampness
• no contact with artificial / chemical smells
• If possible, store similar teas together

Applied to your own surroundings

The crux is that your dark tea’s ageing will be influenced by the environment in which it is stored, for better or worth. It is therefore essential to take that specific environment into account when you arrange your storage setting, instead of just following guidances which may originate from a different climate.

The good news is that if you nimbly apply the four principles above to your own setting, it is very hard to ruin your tea. The only time I had to throw away tea because of bad storage was in a very hot and humid environment, while helping out at a tea store in China. We trusted common wisdom, instead of checking the particular conditions of a batch of tea.

Sometimes clay jars are perfect for storing tea, sometimes they accumulate too much dampness (the type of clay is also very important). Controlling your tea occasionally is enough, as it will not go bad in a day. Once you know what suits your setting, it gets even easier.

You have read one my scribblings. Maybe we share the same appreciation of tea. By using the coupon code Year of the Horse you will get a one time 15% discount in the shop.

From quantity

Historically, Fu Brick Teawas produced with bigger, older leaves from tea plants growing in Anhua County. While they may have been compressed on further stations of the tea trading routes, the leaves had to come from Anhua County and be processed there. Indeed, the county has long had a reputation for its tea growing environment.

During the middle of the twentieth century, the production of Fu Brick Tea was partially ‘delocalized’ for practical reasons, as leaves from different origins were also used. The emphasis was on meeting market demands and keeping prices low, not so much on tradition and quality.

To a choice of qualities

Of course the production of Fu Brick Tea in Anhua County never stopped. By the turn of the twenty-first century, a few local producers started to experiment with producing higher quality Fu Brick Tea on a smaller scale. They paid closer attention to the quality of the leaves and sometimes played with using younger, smaller grades of leaves.

As these small producers were now processing the same quality of leaves (big or small) they would use for other variations of Anhua Dark Tea, they also payed close attention to the various processing steps. They would especially apply the traditional (for Anhua Dark Tea) short post-fermention of about 48 hours.

A good way to differentiate a high-end artisanal young Fu Brick Tea from a standard big factory one is by the colour of the tea soup. A darker soup in a young Fu Brick Tea is often a sign of a longer post-fermentation, which can be used to hide imperfections of lower quality leaves and creates a more dull, less subtle tea. A similar kind of assessment can be made by observing a Fu Brick Tea’ s required ‘golden flowers‘, where profusion does not necessarily rhyme with quality.

You have read one my scribblings. Maybe we share the same appreciation of tea. By using the coupon code Year of the Horse you will get a one time 15% discount in the shop.

An exquisite quality

Traditionally produced Anhua Dark Tea goes through a processing step which consists of drying the mildly post-fermented leaves over pinewood embers. This way of processing the tea leaves confers to them a unique soothing quality, combined with notes of pine resin, comparable to smokiness.

When I first encountered Anhua Dark Tea, it was this particular feeling which made me appreciate it so much. Processing the leaves in this way mellows them without taking away their vigor. The added smokiness gives Anhua Dark Tea a quality, which distinguishes it from other dark teas. Personally I find this subtle note of pine resin very satisfying.

Born out of necessity

This ancestral way of processing the tea leaves was developped out of necessity and local features. Indeed, the mild post-fermentation, in which the leaves are stock piled for about 48 hours is a consequence of Anhua County‘s relatively high humidity ratio. Moreover, the locally abundant pine trees are the ideal means for drying the leaves before they are stored or further compressed into various shapes.

Since Anhua Dark Tea is an ageing tea, the pine resin / smokiness quality will slowly evolve over time. Sensations of camphor and mint will gradually appear, while the smokiness takes the back seat.

You have read one my scribblings. Maybe we share the same appreciation of tea. By using the coupon code Year of the Horse you will get a one time 15% discount in the shop.

Subtle play

Tea as a beverage has both calming and energizing qualities. It stands somewhere in between coffee and tisanes.

Because it lies in the middle, tea is not really suited to be consumed as a quick boosting or tranquilizing drink. It is much more subtle.

Tea’s middle ground allows you to play with it. The particular tea you choose, the teaware, the steeping time, etc will all impact the way you react to a given tea session.

Personal time and atmosphere

This is why making tea takes time and should not be rushed. Tea allows you to open a time window for yourself and create a unique atmosphere that will linger for a while.

Personally I enjoy tea that gently uplifts me and procures a long lasting feeling of comfort. In my opinion, good quality Anhua Dark Tea is incomparable at this.

You have read one my scribblings. Maybe we share the same appreciation of tea. By using the coupon code Year of the Horse you will get a one time 15% discount in the shop.

Ease and comfort

Taste is often the most important criterion applied when evaluating the quality of a tea. Aroma usually follows as taste’s companion measuring standard.

For me, what really draws me to tea, are hard to describe yet very tangible sensations of ease and comfort. It is for these sensations that I turn to tea on a daily basis.

Relaxation and lucidity

One tentative way to illustrate the feeling I am looking for in a fine cup of tea is gut relaxation, combined with brain lucidity. When three steeps of a given tea procure these sensations to me, I consider it to be a good tea.

Taste and aroma are delicious added bonuses to the experience.

You have read one my scribblings. Maybe we share the same appreciation of tea. By using the coupon code Year of the Horse you will get a one time 15% discount in the shop.