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2013 Cha Yu Lin "Gong Jian Tea" Hunan Anhua Hei Cha

2013 Cha Yu Lin "Gong Jian Tea" Hunan Anhua Hei Cha

by Cha Yu Lin
$7.00 - $90.00
$7.00
$7.00 - $90.00
$7.00

In old times "Gong Jian" 贡尖 tea was a tribute and enjoyed only by the aristocracy, but after the founding the People's Republic of China it became a popular tea with the common people. It is particularly popular in Hunan and Shaanxi (where it is also grown and processed), where it is enjoyed as one of the "San Jian" (lit. 三尖, three jian teas: Tian Jian, Sheng(Ye) Jian, and Gong Jian). Gong Jian tea in particular is sweet like rock sugar with a longan like fruitiness. It is the most mellow and viscous of the "San Jian" teas produced in Hunan and Shaanxi.

The processing of Hei Cha (in particular San Jian teas), the selection of raw materials, processing technique, growing region, soil, and the climate are all important factors in the outcome of the tea. Much like pu-erh the processing of Gong Jian (as well as Tian Jian) involves fermentation and so the water used, ambient temperature and processing all influence the level and type of microbes that bring changes to the tea (both during processing and during the aging process).

Our Gong Jian was grown in the Yan Xi 烟溪 area of An Hua county, a remote area with cold and misty weather much of the year. Processed and packed into 25 kilogram baskets, and then aged in An Hua until early 2019!

Smooth, sweet, fruity and viscous, this tea is very enjoyable to drink. Very easy on the tummy as well!

Spring 2013 harvested and processed

Region:  Yan Xi area of An Hua County in Hunan Province

Want to learn more about Tian Jian tea?  Click here!

Overall rating: 4.625 / 5 from 8 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

Summary topics

Review topics: ["taste","aftertaste","color","tea","cha","earthiness"].

Review highlights

Reviews

Love it!!

"Love it!!"

— Linda J. (5/5)

Something to try

"I'm a fan of ripe puer and that one has many similarities in a way it looks and smells. So wood and earthiness. On a taste however it quite different, a bit unripe with grassiness. I think it needs a bit of a play with temperature and length of brewery to get most out of it."

— Alexander K. (4/5)

Interesting to try

"I'm a newbie, so please don't take my review too seriously. Once opened, I thought this is puer - look and the smell had many similarities with wood earthiness. On a taste I found it to be a bit grassy which I personally don't like. I prefer smooth teas. Maybe brewery technic wasn't right, so will try different options to find a better balance."

— Alexander K. (4/5)

Classic Anhua Hei Cha

"This is my favorite flavor profile of Hunan Hei cha. Mellow but lively, sweet, fruity, molasses / rock sugar, spice-y, clean smooth earthiness with Wu Yi rock oolong-like character. It tastes very similar to the "Gao Jia Shan Wild Tian Jian In A Bamboo Basket" but it's a bit 'deeper' and 'darker'. I notice a very subtle 'ghost' of smoke flavor in the first couple infusions which fades by the 3rd. I've found the smoke taste is a bit more noticeable when brewing grandpa style. There is longevity of flavor over many gongfu steeps starting at 10 seconds with boiling water. I usually lose count and end up estimating. I'll pour a last 15 to 20 min steep when I think the session is over and it still tastes good. The texture is soothing and viscous in the mouth and has a nice aftertaste. It has the typical tranquil, soothing mind/body buzzy energy of warm blanket vibez."

— Ryan P. (5/5)

Sweet and delicious

"It was worth the Covid wait. My first order of tea's, chosen because my favorite color, are sweet, mellow, and refreshing. I'm already thinking about what I might order next. Yunnan Sourcing is firmly on my short list of tea vendors"

— James U. (5/5)

Great hei cha

"Very smooth tea without any bitterness. Fruity, balsamic and sweet. Aroma is a little bit spicy."

— Yevgeniy H. (5/5)

福禄寿

"there are multiple stages of taste that i would like to try out myself with different brewing duration and method"

— seroh c. (5/5)

Dark, soft sweeetness

"The description is pretty much spot on; this is a softly sweet tea, with notes of ripe stone fruit and dark sugar. The initial flavour is similar to an unsmoked tian jian, though it tends towards sweet rather than savoury qualities. The aftertaste is jammy and pleasant, but short lived. Even fresh out of the box, the tea is very clean, lacking any apparent fermentation flavours or aromas. In many ways, this reminds me of a darker Ben Se Ju, though the ben se has a more intense, persistent aftertaste. Despite being a coarser grade, this is a step up from the majority of other tian jian/san jian tea I've found in the west."

— Nathan (4/5)

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