Sun Yishun Liu An Basket Aged Tea, Year 1992

This 1992 Liu An tea was produced by the Sun Yishun Tea Factory in its very first year of resumed production. Made according to the elaborate, traditional Sun Yishun Liu An Basket Tea method, it reflects the revival of a historic lineage. The leaves are small, tight, and carefully processed. In the cup, the liquor shines with a bright red-amber color and releases a rich, layered aroma. The first sip is lively and refreshing, with a gentle bitterness that quickly transforms into returning sweetness (hui gan). After several infusions, a distinct cooling sensation lingers in the mouth, leaving a clean, uplifting finish. More History of Sun Yishun Liu An Sun Yishun was established in 1725 by Sun Qiming, a native of Huizhou, as a tea firm specializing in Liu An Tea. The name combined the family surname “Sun,” the virtue of righteousness (“Yi”), and the wish for smooth prosperity in business (“Shun”). From that time, the production and sale of Lui An Tea began under the Sun Yishun name. By 1932, there were 47 tea firms bearing the name “Liu An Tea” in southern Qimen County, among which Sun Yishun Liu An Tea was the most renowned. Unfortunately, in the late 1930s (around 1938–1939), Wang Qingming, the owner of the Sun Yishun tea firm, was tragically killed by bandits while returning home with payment from tea sales. The firm thus lost its central leadership. Meanwhile, on July 7, 1937, Japan launched a full-scale invasion of China. Major Chinese tea-export ports fell under Japanese control, and many tea-producing regions in Southeast, South, and Central China were occupied. Even tea regions not directly occupied were affected to varying degrees by the war. As a result, Liu An Tea’s transportation and distribution routes were completely cut off. Maritime shipping was disrupted, and trade with the primary Southeast Asian export markets was halted. Under both internal and external pressures, all tea factories closed. Around 1943, the Sun Yishun tea firm officially ceased operations, and the production of Liu An Tea in the Qimen region was interrupted for more than half a century. In 1984, Guan Fenfa of the Overseas Chinese Tea Development Foundation wrote requesting tea and provided the Anhui Provincial Tea Company with a basket of An Tea produced around the 1930s. The following year, the Qimen County Bureau of Agriculture and the county tea company assigned technical officer Zheng Jilong to conduct field investigations in Luxi, the former production area of An Tea. He located Wang Shoukang, a descendant of Sun Yishun, and together with local township enterprise members such as Wang Zhenxiang and Wang Shengping, visited elderly tea makers who had produced An Tea in earlier times. Subsequently, trial production resumed in Luxi, the historic site of Liu An Basket Tea in southern Qimen. In 1988, the revived tea won a Special Grade Award at the provincial Famous and Premium Tea Evaluation Conference. After years of suspension, Liu An Basket Tea reappeared on the market. The inner tickets (neifei) pressed into these teas at that time featured the classic “Eight-Zhong Tea” style. From 1988 to 1990, Mr. Wang Zhenxiang, an inheritor of the Sun Yishun lineage, began harvesting and producing tea in the mountains of Luxi, though the early batches were not yet recognized. In 1991, he once again remade An Tea and finally succeeded. The finished tea received Mr. Guan’s approval and was compared with An Tea from 1928 preserved in Hong Kong. In 1992, the Sun Yishun An Tea Factory was officially established and began formal production, exporting to Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as Malaysia. More History of Liu An Tea An Tea was first created in the late Ming to early Qing dynasty. An Tea is mainly produced in Luxi Township, Qimen County, Anhui Province. Traditional Liu An Tea (Liu An Basket Tea) does not originate from Lu’an in Anhui, as the name might suggest, but rather from Luxi and Rongkou townships in Qimen, Anhui. This area has a tea-producing history spanning several hundred years. The manufacturing process of traditional Liu An Tea is particularly complex. The fresh leaves are first pan-fired (kill-green), rolled, sun-dried as raw material, baked, sifted, and winnowed to become green tea. After sorting, the tea is baked again, exposed overnight to dew, lightly smoked, packed into bamboo baskets, and baked once more. The finished tea must then be aged for two to three years before it can be released to the market. According to the studies, Liu An Basket Tea is rich in polyphenols. It not only helps relieve summer heat and quench thirst, but also aids digestion and offers preventive health benefits. It is considered a long-term wellness tea, particularly beneficial for those with high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol. During the Ming dynasty, Wen Long wrote in Cha Jian that Liu An Tea was especially effective when used medicinally, and it was therefore regarded as a treasured tea. The reason traditional Liu An Tea became popular in Guangdong is said to date back to the Qing dynasty. A physician from Qimen practiced medicine in Foshan, Guangdong, where the summers were hot and humid, and residents were prone to heatstroke and digestive discomfort. The physician prescribed Liu An Tea in place of medicine, and many people recovered without additional treatment. Because of its reputed effects in relieving heat, detoxifying, soothing the mind, and restoring balance, Liu An Tea gained great fame and widespread admiration. Tea: Liu An Basket Aged TeaWeight Per Basket: 450 grams Factory: Sun Yishun Tea Factory Origin: An Hui ProvinceTypes: Post-fermented Harvest Period: 1992