Qian Liang Cha
Anhua dark tea compressed into a bamboo-wrapped log weighing roughly thirty-six kilograms, traditionally trodden by teams of men. It is the largest single format any tea is made in and is sawn into discs for sale.
Character
Woody and sweet with a distinct bamboo note from the wrapping. The format is genuinely part of the flavour rather than just packaging.
- Flavour
- Woody, Sweet, Earthy
- Aroma
- Caramelised
- Mouthfeel
- Full bodied, Rich, Smooth
- Complexity
- Moderate
- Notes
- bamboo, dried longan, wood, earth
- Aftertaste
- Sweet and woody, with a bamboo edge.
Bold intensity: full-bodied, astringent or bitter enough to lead the cup.
Provenance and production
- Origin
- China
- Region
- Anhua
- Oxidation
- Not applicable
- Post-fermentation
- Microbial wet piling
- Harvest
- Summer
- Processing
- Kill-green (fixation) → Rolling and shaping → Wet piling (wo dui) → Compression → Basket ageing → Ageing and storage
History
The thirty-six kilogram log format was developed in Anhua in the nineteenth century for river and overland transport, and was trodden by teams of men in a process that continued essentially unchanged into the twentieth century. Production lapsed in the 1950s and was revived in the 1980s.
Brewing
Gongfu brewing (gaiwan)
5–7 g/100 ml · 98–100 °C · 6 authored infusions
Western brewing (teapot or mug)
1.5–2.5 g/100 ml · 95–100 °C · 1 authored infusion
No caffeine estimate is authored for this tea. TeaHQ does not infer one from its category, because category predicts caffeine poorly — matcha and gyokuro carry more than many black teas.
If you like this
Grouped by why they were suggested, strongest reason first. Nothing here is a blended score — a suggestion appears under the best reason that exists for it, and never under a weaker one as well.
Editorially linked
Someone wrote down why these two belong together. The note below is theirs.
- Tian Jian
Loose Anhua tea, then the same tradition compressed into a thirty-six kilogram log. The bamboo wrapping becomes part of the flavour.
- Hua Juan Cha
Identical tea and process at wildly different scale; the smaller log exists because the larger is impractical.
Similar sensory profile
Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.
- Aged white tea cake
Shares 7 descriptors with Qian Liang Cha: sweet, woody, earthy, full bodied, rich, smooth and caramelised.
- Menghai shou pu-erh
Shares 7 descriptors with Qian Liang Cha: earthy, woody, sweet, full bodied, smooth, rich and caramelised.
- Shou pu-erh (ripe)
Shares 7 descriptors with Qian Liang Cha: earthy, woody, sweet, full bodied, smooth, rich and caramelised.
- Aged Liu Bao
Shares 6 descriptors with Qian Liang Cha: woody, sweet, earthy, full bodied, rich and caramelised.
- Aged Shou Mei
Shares 6 descriptors with Qian Liang Cha: sweet, woody, full bodied, smooth, rich and caramelised.
- Chen Xiang Tie Guan Yin
Shares 6 descriptors with Qian Liang Cha: sweet, woody, full bodied, rich, smooth and caramelised.