2008 Hunan Teji dark tea

This is a dark tea is from Hunan province in south central China. Called Fu tea, this tea may be the reason this region was able to go on developing more or less continuously for a millennium. Early on this tea was demanded by the local Himalayan and Mongolian nation-tribes. Because this tea was considered so special, whoever conquered this area the local farmers were encouraged to make tea, either for their rulers or for trade. Horses carried this tea as far north as Russian Tzars.

This tea is not from a small farm. It is a "smaller" high quality production from the largest maker of Fu tea. In 2005 this state-run enterprise decided to launch a premium version of their tea using only the bud and first two leaves. This tea is purported to be made in the old way tea artisans from the area cured their tea a thousand years ago. This tea has a been a huge success, and we use it as a standard when tasting the teas from the hillside farms. It has raised the bar for dark tea and we worry it may not be offered long.

For fifty years the government has deemed this tea necessary to maintain the health of populations who eat primarily meat. If you eat foods heavy in oil or with meat, Chinese believe the active cultures present on these tea leaves ease meat digestion into the body. For the northern western cultures in China who eat few vegetables, this tea is a now a daily beverage. We like it on a cold night, before bed, or instead of a snack.