Compare two teas
Side by side across seven dimensions. There is no verdict and no winner — the purpose is to understand the difference, not to be told which to buy.
Why these two get confused
Two coarse border-trade bricks from Hubei and Sichuan, made for boiling rather than steeping. Both are among the cheapest teas in China by weight.
Point by point
| Dimension | Qing Zhuan aged | Kang Zhuan |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Dark tea and pu-erh · not applicable · post-fermented (microbial wet piling) | Dark tea and pu-erh · not applicable · post-fermented (both) |
| Production | In order: Kill-green (fixation) → Rolling and shaping → Wet piling (wo dui) → Compression → Ageing and storage. mature leaf and summer harvest. | In order: Kill-green (fixation) → Wet piling (wo dui) → Compression → Ageing and storage. mature leaf and summer harvest. |
| Origin | China | China |
| Flavour | woody and earthy. full bodied and rich in the mouth. Aroma: old wood, dry earth, faint smoke. Straightforward in character. Bold in intensity. | smoky, woody and earthy. astringent, full bodied and drying in the mouth. Aroma: woodsmoke, bark, damp earth. Straightforward in character. Bold in intensity. |
| Brewing | Gongfu brewing (gaiwan): 5–7 g/100 ml at 98–100 °C, first steep 8s of 6 authored. Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1.5–2.5 g/100 ml at 95–100 °C, first steep 180s. | Boiling and decoction: 0.5–1.5 g/100 ml at 95–100 °C, first steep 900s. Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1.5–2.5 g/100 ml at 95–100 °C, first steep 180s. |
| Cultural context | Not recorded for this tea. | Used in Tibetan butter tea and the Himalayan tea trade. Central to Tibetan and Himalayan food culture as po cha, churned with butter and salt. Judging it by steeped-tea standards misses what it is for. |
| Who may prefer it | Someone who wants the cup to assert itself and has drunk enough tea to notice what changes between infusions. It rewards attention to leaf weight and timing. | Someone who wants the cup to assert itself and is willing to drink something several times before it makes sense. It rewards attention to leaf weight and timing. |
Nothing above is a recommendation. The last row describes the drinker each tea suits, using each tea’s own authored fields and the same sentence structure for both, so neither can be framed as the safe choice.