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 fermented tea traditions outside China, one eaten and one drunk. Both are lactic-fermented and neither resembles Chinese dark tea.
TeaHQ has written about this pair
'Fermented' is used for so many different operations in tea that the word has stopped carrying information. These three genuinely are fermented, by three different routes, and only one of them is what most people mean by the term.
- What actually happens
- Miang: Lactic-acid fermentation of steamed mature leaf, packed and pressed.Goishicha: Two fermentations in sequence: a mould fermentation, then a lactic-acid fermentation under weight.
- Where it is made
- Miang: Northern Thailand, in the same tradition as Burmese lahpet.Goishicha: Kochi prefecture, Japan, in very small quantity.
- What it tastes like
- Miang: Sour fermented leaf, salt and green wood; sour and savoury.Goishicha: Sour plum, hay and fermented grain. Distinctly sour and clean.
- How it is consumed
- Miang: Chewed and eaten as a snack, not brewed.Goishicha: Brewed, traditionally in a communal pot and often with rice.
- What the sourness means
- Miang: Sourness is the defining and intended character.Goishicha: Sourness is the defining and intended character.
- Relation to oxidation
- Miang: None.Goishicha: None.
- How old the practice is
- Miang: Generally described as predating tea drinking in the region.Goishicha: A regional survival, made by very few producers.
In summary: The useful distinction is not fermented versus unfermented but which organisms and what they leave behind. A shou that tastes sour is behaving like a lactic-fermented tea and that is a signal something went differently in the pile; a goishicha that tastes sour is correct. Knowing which is which is the difference between returning a tea and understanding it.
Point by point
| Dimension | Miang | Goishicha |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Dark tea and pu-erh · not applicable · post-fermented (microbial anaerobic lactic) | Dark tea and pu-erh · not applicable · post-fermented (microbial aerobic then anaerobic) |
| Production | In order: Steaming (Japanese fixation) → Anaerobic pickling. mature leaf and summer harvest. | In order: Steaming (Japanese fixation) → Wet piling (wo dui) → Anaerobic pickling → Compression → Sun-drying (shai qing). mature leaf and summer harvest. |
| Origin | Thailand — Chiang Mai | Japan |
| Flavour | earthy and vegetal. medium and astringent in the mouth. Aroma: sour fermented leaf, salt, green wood. Moderate in character. Moderate in intensity. | fruity and earthy. light and smooth in the mouth. Aroma: sour plum, hay, fermented grain. Moderate in character. Moderate in intensity. |
| Brewing | Boiling and decoction: 1–2 g/100 ml at 95–100 °C, first steep 300s. | Boiling and decoction: 0.5–1.5 g/100 ml at 95–100 °C, first steep 600s. Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1.5–2.5 g/100 ml at 95–100 °C, first steep 180s. Boiling aged and dark tea (zhu cha): 0.8–1.5 g/100 ml at 95–100 °C, first steep 600s. |
| Cultural context | Used in Miang — chewed fermented tea in northern Thailand and Laos and Lahpet — Burmese fermented tea leaf. In northern Thailand miang is wrapped in a leaf with salt and chewed. Brewing it is a secondary use and gives only a faint impression of the material. | Used in Miang — chewed fermented tea in northern Thailand and Laos. |
| Who may prefer it | Someone who wants presence without being dominated and is willing to drink something several times before it makes sense. It rewards attention to leaf weight and timing. | Someone who wants presence without being dominated 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.