Naturally compressed during fermentation, these tea heads of Hei Cha/Liu Bao come from a village in Wuzhou County. According to Chinese classification, it’s considered black tea, not red tea like Dian Hong.
Flavor profile: beetroot, cinnamon, wood, mushroom notes, nutmeg, and caramel. The aftertaste, especially with a long steep, has an interesting acidity similar to Catimor Arabica, and of course, sweetness! There’s no astringency or bitterness.
Thanks to the solid compression, it lasts a long time; a 6−7 gram piece is enough for a leisurely tea session with friends. It easily opens up with boiling water in a clay teapot or in a glass pot over a fire — boiling method.
As with any other Hei Cha, the effect is interesting — it energizes and relaxes at the same time, but without any weirdness or jitters.
Important: The base of the tea heads sometimes has a white coating — this is due to the high humidity in Wuzhou and subsequent storage in sealed bags. The villagers in Wuzhou and I aren’t afraid of this mold; we just rinse it 1−2 times and drink with pleasure. If you have a sensitivity to this sort of thing, like with Camembert cheese, don’t buy this lot :)
A caramel-mushroom cellar treat for those who are ready!