Lao Shu Tian Jian 2016

Among post-fermented teas, Anhua heicha stands among the most enigmatic. Less familiar than Shu Pu-erh or Liu Bao, it owes its unique character to the interplay of human skill and the forces of nature: on one side, the careful selection of leaves, the precise roasting, the piling, and the patient storage; on the other, the old tea bushes of the mist-shrouded Hunanese mountains, the slow work of fermentation, and the shaping hand of time. This Tian Jian is a textbook example of that harmony.

The result is a profile that is both sophisticated and disarmingly raw. The dark, twisted leaves release a deep incense aroma that, with a touch of heat, fills the room with thick, perfumed vapor. The first infusions reveal notes reminiscent of wet forest soil — earthy yet strikingly clean — a contrast mirrored in the clear, luminous liquor, completely free of cloudiness. As the session unfolds, the earthiness gently recedes, allowing a bittersweet medicinal character to emerge: a vivid pine-resin flavor that expands through the palate and nose, offering a cooling, balsamic sensation akin to eucalyptus or camphor.

This is a complex tea that demands attention and rewards exploration, offering a meditative experience — a quiet reflection on the meeting point between human craft and the wildness of nature, which Tian Jian captures so uniquely.

Written by Simone

About the producer

We were approached by Huang Xiaofeng, who runs a small-scale tea company in Anhua, with a portfolio of quality heicha or dark teas from the alpine forests of the region. Their focus on local tradition and authentic techniques took our intrigue immediately that we decided to source a bunch of heichas to take on an exploration of a tea category lesser known to us. The raw materials are sourced from their 100-acre Laocong old tea garden, a biodynamic environment more than 700m deep in the mountains and far away from local villages and roads.

Image to the right: Huang Xiaofeng tending to fixed tea; image to the left: Tea farmers carrying their pickings down the mountain.