This 2020 Hundred Tael Dark Tea Cake comes from the misty high-mountain tea region of Anhua, Hunan, and is crafted using traditional intangible cultural heritage techniques. Sourced from old-growth community tea trees near the historic imperial tribute tea gardens of the Qing Dynasty, only one harvest of spring tea leaves is picked each year. Nourished by mountain forests and flowing streams, the tea develops a uniquely layered character. The finished tea combines the rich body and long-lasting endurance of large-leaf tea varieties with the elegant aroma of smaller-leaf cultivars. Expect notes of glutinous rice sweetness, honey aroma, and gentle walnut undertones, with a smooth, thick liquor and a lingering sweet finish reminiscent of rice soup sweetness.
Hundred Tael Tea is one of the most iconic styles of Anhua dark tea, with its traditional production methods recognized as an intangible cultural heritage craft. Local villagers say some of these ancient tea trees existed long before the founding of modern China, growing naturally along remote mountain streams with little human intervention — echoing the ancient saying: “Along the cliffs and watersides of Anhua tea mountains, tea grows naturally without cultivation.”
Every step of production is completed entirely by hand, from bamboo weaving and tea packing to the powerful foot-compression process used to shape the tea. No modern machinery is involved. The tea is naturally dried and fermented outdoors through a traditional “sun by day, dew by night” process lasting forty-nine days, allowing slow natural transformation and deep flavor development. Traditionally made as a long tea log, this tea has been carefully sliced into convenient 200g tea cakes for easier brewing and storage.
The tea trees grow in high-altitude forest ecosystems where they coexist naturally with native woodland vegetation. Cool mountain temperatures, dense mist, and pristine spring water create an ideal environment for slow tea growth, resulting in limited yields but exceptional quality. Following century-old blending traditions, selected mature tea stems are included to enhance sweetness, smoothness, and aromatic complexity. The result is a deeply comforting dark tea with rich aged character balanced by softness and sweetness, ideal for daily drinking, aging, or gifting to tea lovers.
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