Teas / dark / Hubei Qing Zhuan (Green Brick)

Hubei Qing Zhuan (Green Brick)
🇨🇳 China

Hubei Qing Zhuan (Green Brick)

Hú Běi Qīng Zhuān · 湖北青砖 (湖北青磚)

other-heicha · zhuan

Qing Zhuan ("Green Brick") is a post-fermented Hubei dark tea (heicha), historically pressed in Chibi (Red Cliff) in southern Hubei from coarse leaves unsuitable for green-tea production. The "green" in the name refers to the dark bluish-green tone of a fresh unaged brick, not the leaf type. Production was founded in 1736 by the merchant Lei Zhongwan at Yangloudong; the bricks became part of the bulk export trade — much of which moved through Hankou (Wuhan), where 60% of all Chinese tea was shipped from in the late 19th century, mostly heading to Mongolia, Russia, and the New World.

Quick facts

Region
Chibi (Red Cliff)
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; for older bricks rinse twice. Despite the "green" name (referring to the dark bluish-green tone of the unaged brick) it is a fully post-fermented dark tea.

Calculate leaf weight for this tea

Tasting notes

Aroma
aged wood, earth, dried mushroom
Flavor
smooth, earthy, mineral, mellow sweet
Mouthfeel
thick
Finish
warming, long

Aging potential

Like most heicha Qing Zhuan continues to mellow for decades; the dense brick slows aging compared to looser-form heicha.

Related teas