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2023 Anhua Tian Jian (2023 Spring)

2023 Anhua Tian Jian (2023 Spring)

Li Chenyin

Type
Dark Tea
Origin
Anhua County, Yiyang, Hunan Province, China
Cultivar
Qun Ti Zhong
Elevation
400-600m
Steeping instructions
90-100˚C / 194-212˚F. Rinse once. Gongfu style: 1g : 25ml, 15s, 20s, 25s, 30s, then increment by 15s. Western style: 1g : 80ml, 2min+1min. Also recommend for boiling at 1g : 200ml ratio.
Website
https://myteapal.store/products/2023-anhua-tian-jian-dark-tea-dragon-ball
Description
During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty (18th century), tea merchants from Shanxi and Anhua used relatively tender semi-processed dark tea as raw material, applying traditional craftsmanship to produce lightly compressed, basket-packed tea locally. This tip-based tea style gained popularity, and in 1825, during the reign of Emperor Daoguang, it was officially bestowed the name Tian Jian and designated as an imperial tea. Over time, this lineage developed into seven related styles: Yajian, Baimaojian, Tianjian, Gongjian, Xiangjian, Shengjian, and Kunjian. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, market-driven selection gradually narrowed production to Tianjian, Gongjian, and Shengjian, collectively known as the “Three Jian (Tip) Teas,” which continue to be produced today. For this tea, fresh leaves were harvested between April 12 and April 20, prior to the Guyu (Grain Rain) solar term. The maocha (semi-processed tea) was completed within 96 hours of picking, following a traditional sequence of withering, fixation, rolling, wet piling, and drying. Drying was carried out using the traditional Qi Xing Zao (Seven-Star Stove)—a complex, multi-vented stove structure. Pine wood burns slowly within the stove, while tea leaves are evenly spread on top and gently dried for 24 hours at 50–60 °C. As the final baking was completed only in early August, the pine wood aroma remains especially vivid. The maocha was then stored in Chengdu in loose-leaf form for further natural transformation from 2023 to 2025. In August 2025, it was sent to Kunming, Yunnan, and carefully rolled into 7-gram dragonballs, preserving both its structural integrity and its accumulated aging character.

Shipped in September 2023

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