Anhua Hei Cha vs Fu Zhuan

Anhua Hei Cha

Anhua Hei Cha is the umbrella name for dark teas from Anhua county in Hunan, where the style has been made for centuries. Production involves pile-fermentation after initial processing, giving a smooth, earthy cup with woody depth, dried-fruit sweetness, and a clean mineral finish. Styles range from loose 'Tianjian' grades to pressed bricks and baskets. Well-aged Anhua develops camphor and herbal complexity prized by collectors.

Fu Zhuan

Fu Zhuan, or Fu Brick, is a pressed dark tea from Anhua in Hunan, famous for the golden flowers — Eurotium cristatum fungus — that bloom inside the brick during processing. The cup is smooth and lightly sweet: hay, dried grass, and a clean earthy depth with a distinctive herbaceous note from the flowers. Bricks are often brewed or even simmered, and the tea is a staple of northwest China's border regions.

Anhua Hei Cha

Water temperature

95–100°C

Leaf to water

5g / 250ml

Steep time

0.5–1 min

Re-steep

5–8 times

Fu Zhuan

Water temperature

95–100°C

Leaf to water

5g / 250ml

Steep time

0.5–1 min

Re-steep

5–8 times

Anhua Hei Cha

Medium caffeine — roughly 25–50 mg per brewed serving

A moderate, steady lift without an intense spike.

Fu Zhuan

Medium caffeine — roughly 25–50 mg per brewed serving

A moderate, steady lift without an intense spike.

Anhua Hei Cha

China · Hunan (Anhua)

Anhua county in Hunan is the historic center of Chinese dark tea production, with a heritage reaching back centuries.

Fu Zhuan

China · Hunan (Anhua)

Fu Zhuan is produced in Anhua county, Hunan, and its golden flowers are a protected hallmark of the style.