Chinese dark teas compared
Four dark teas from four provinces, each with its own fermentation practice. They are grouped as one category and share less than the grouping suggests.
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What is being compared
Why these get confused
All four are called 'dark tea' or 'hei cha', which implies a shared process. The fermentation mechanisms genuinely differ.
Point by point
| Aspect | Shou pu-erh (ripe) | Liu Bao | Fu Zhuan | Anhua dark tea |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Province | Yunnan. | Guangxi. | Hunan. | Hunan. |
| Fermentation mechanism | Controlled wet-piling with a mixed microbial population. | Wet-piling followed by years of basket ageing. | Deliberate cultivation of a single fungus, Eurotium cristatum, visible as golden specks. | Wet-piling, with the province’s range of compressed formats. |
| Signature flavour | Damp earth, dried date, cocoa. | Betel nut, camphor, old wood. | Dried grain, mushroom, hay — distinctly sweet. | Pine smoke, wood and dried longan. |
| Format | Cakes, bricks and tuocha. | Woven bamboo baskets. | Hard-pressed bricks. | Everything from loose basket tea to thirty-six kilogram logs. |
| How old the practice is | Wet-piling dates from the 1970s. | A parallel tradition, not derived from pu-erh. | Centuries, originally pressed in Shaanxi. | Centuries, tied to the border trade. |
The short answer
Pu-erh dominates the conversation and is one of four traditions. Fu Zhuan’s golden flower and Liu Bao’s basket ageing are as distinctive as anything Yunnan does.
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