The 2012 Li Yuan Long "Shi Liang Cha" Anhua Hei Cha is a special blend of tea grown in Anhua County, Hunan Province of China. The tea is harvested in Spring and then expertly processed into a rich, dark Hei Cha. The tea's unique taste, rich aroma and energizing properties create a truly memorable experience. Shi Liang Cha (十两茶) is a smaller cousin of Bai Liang Cha (百 两茶) and the largest Qian Liang Cha (千 两茶). Shi Liang Cha is 365 grams (0.365kg) Bai Liang Cha is 3650 grams (3.65kg) Qian Liang Cha is 36,500 gram (36.5kg) Shi Liang Cha process is similar to Qian Liang Cha, but on a smaller scale. Qian Liang tea is compressed in a long column (typically 36.5kg) through a laborious process that involves steaming the leaves and funneling them into a three layered cylinder of woven bamboo. Then a team of 5 to 8 people will simultaneously compress the tea using leverage and then tighten each section with thick bamboo stripling. Once firmly compressed the Qian Liang "logs" are dried in the sun and then finally cured for months in an indoor warehouse. In this form they can be aged for decades or even centuries without molding, only improving in taste, aroma and complexity with each passing year! You can watch this video here to see just how amazing Qian Liang processing really is! Another video shows how the Qian Liang log is opened and prepped for the cutting stage when it's moved to the consumption stage. The taste is spicy, sweet, thick, with hints of brewer's yeast and mushrooms. Really kind of difficult to describe, so we would encourage you to purchase the lesser amount first to see if you like it. If you buy the whole piece, please know that it's tightly compressed and will take some work to remove the bamboo from the exterior and to break off pieces. If you have a thin kerf miter saw it would make it elegant and easy! We recommend brewing this with the hottest water. You can can brew gong fu style, or you can try brewing in a SAMA Thermal Flask for maximum extraction and thick taste!
