Teas / dark / Anhua Tian Jian (Heaven Points)

Anhua Tian Jian (Heaven Points)
🇨🇳 China

Anhua Tian Jian (Heaven Points)

Ān Huà Tiān Jiān · 安化天尖

anhua · loose

Anhua Tian Jian ("Heaven Points") is the highest grade of Anhua loose-leaf dark tea (heicha) from Hunan, made from the earliest spring pluck and limited by definition to no more than 8% stem by mass. Unlike the compressed Fuzhuan and Qianliang formats, Tian Jian is aged loose in a bamboo basket. Traditional processing involves the "Seven-Star Stove" — pine wood is burned during roasting, infusing the tea with a characteristic light pine-smoke aromatic. During the Daoguang era of the Qing dynasty (around 1825) it was designated a tribute tea exclusive to the royal family.

Quick facts

Region
Anhua
Harvest year
2018
Harvest season
early-spring
Shape
loose

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; for older lots rinse twice. The traditional Seven-Star Stove pine-smoke aromatic is a light wash on top of the heicha base — distinct from Lapsang Souchong's heavy pine smoking.

Calculate leaf weight for this tea

Tasting notes

Aroma
pine smoke, aged wood, dried fruit
Flavor
smooth, mellow, sweet, light pine smoke
Mouthfeel
thick
Finish
long, woody-sweet

Aging potential

Like other Anhua heicha Tian Jian continues to mellow for decades; aged 1990s lots are highly prized for the deeper integration of smoke and sweet wood.

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