Teas / dark / Anhua Qianliang Cha (Thousand-Tael Tea)

Anhua Qianliang Cha (Thousand-Tael Tea)
🇨🇳 China

Anhua Qianliang Cha (Thousand-Tael Tea)

Ān Huà Qiān Liǎng Chá · 安化千两茶 (安化千兩茶)

anhua · zhuan

Qian Liang Cha — "Thousand Tael Tea" — is a category of Anhua dark tea (heicha) from Hunan Province, compressed into hand-woven bamboo pillars lined with reed leaves and palm bark. The iconic full-size Qian Liang Cha measures roughly 36.25 kg ("qian" = 1000 taels, an old Chinese unit of about 36 g). Smaller variants — Bai (100) Liang and Shi (10) Liang — exist in the same Hua Juan family. Produced around the mid-Autumn festival; pressing a single full-size pillar requires nine workers. Originally for transport efficiency on the Tea Horse Road; today valued for the way the bamboo and pressing regulate slow aging.

Quick facts

Region
Anhua
Harvest year
2018
Harvest season
spring
Shape
zhuan

Brewing

Leaf
5.0 g / 100 ml
Water
100°C
Rinse
yes
Gongfu steeps (s)
10, 15, 20, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120

Boiling water; rinse twice for older logs to wake the storage character. The cylindrical pillar is broken into rounds first, then chunks. Bamboo lining contributes to aging chemistry.

Calculate leaf weight for this tea

Tasting notes

Aroma
aged wood, dried mushroom, sweet bamboo
Flavor
woody, sweet, mineral, light medicinal
Mouthfeel
thick, oily
Finish
warming, long

Aging potential

Properly stored Qian Liang ages for decades; the bamboo casing breathes and contributes to the development. 1980s/1990s pillars are highly prized.

Related teas