Qianliang Cha
千两茶 · Thousand Tael Tea
Dark
This is a tea you could hit someone with.
The leaves go in stems and all, are steamed soft, and then rammed into a bamboo casing nearly two metres long. Men bind it and tread on it until it sets as hard as a fallen tree. Shaanxi merchants invented the shape in the 1820s because it was the only way to get tea out of the mountains without losing half of it.
The stems are left in on purpose. They hold pockets of air inside the column, and the slow ferment needs that air. Young it tastes of smoke. Aged, of wood and dates.
- pine smoke
- date
- wood
- Origin
- Anhua, Hunan
- Water
- 100°C / 212°F
- Ratio
- 5 g / 100 ml
- Caffeine
- Medium
- Rinse
- Yes · 10s
Signature Anhua hei cha; the compressed-log form is iconic
How much leaf
Gong fu brewing is leaf-heavy and short. Set your gaiwan or pot size and this is what to weigh out.
Vessel volume
100 ml
Recommended dose
Use ~5.0g of tea
The session
7 infusions after the rinse, about 3m 20s of total contact time.
- Rinse10sWake the leaf and pour it away — this one isn’t for drinking.
- Steep 110sPine smoke, sharp and green.
- Steep 210sBamboo freshness cuts the smoke.
- Steep 315sThe smoke settles into warm wood.
- Steep 420sDate sweetness rises from the log.
- Steep 530sIncense depth, aged and calm.
- Steep 645sWood and earth, smooth now.
- Steep 71mA sweet, resinous water lingers.
Also sold as
Qian Liang Cha, Hua Juan, Anhua Qianliang
Steaper times this session for you
A countdown per infusion, a gong when each one is up, and the whole library in your pocket. Coming to iPhone.
Get notified at launchThese numbers are a median of independent gong fu sources, not a law. Leaf age, vessel and water all move them. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.