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
The same tea and process at wildly different scale. The thirty-six kilogram log is impractical for households, which is why the smaller format exists.
Point by point
| Dimension | Qian Liang Cha | Hua Juan Cha |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Dark tea and pu-erh · not applicable · post-fermented (microbial wet piling) | Dark tea and pu-erh · not applicable · post-fermented (microbial wet piling) |
| Production | In order: Kill-green (fixation) → Rolling and shaping → Wet piling (wo dui) → Compression → Basket ageing → Ageing and storage. summer harvest. | In order: Kill-green (fixation) → Rolling and shaping → Wet piling (wo dui) → Compression → Basket ageing → Ageing and storage. summer harvest. |
| Origin | China — Anhua | China — Anhua |
| Flavour | woody, sweet and earthy. full bodied, rich and smooth in the mouth. Aroma: bamboo, dried longan, wood, earth. Moderate in character. Bold in intensity. | woody and sweet. full bodied and smooth in the mouth. Aroma: bamboo, wood, dried fruit. Moderate in character. Moderate 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. | 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. |
| Cultural context | Not recorded for this tea. | Not recorded for this tea. |
| 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 presence without being dominated and wants to enjoy it on the first cup. It tolerates an imprecise brew. |
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.