2020 Jing Fu Yuan Fu Brick – Fu Zhuan Dark Tea 450g

Note: This tea is NOT gluten free. A small amount of wheat is used to induce the growth of ‘golden flowers’ during the production process. Due to the presence of golden flowers (eurotium cristatum), this full-bodied, mellow tea has a sweet, fruity and grain-like taste. Jingyang Factory This fu zhuan tea brick is made by the Jingyang factory, which is specialised in only making fu bricks. The production is managed Liu Bai Shun has more than 60 years of experience in the production of fu brick tea. The factory has a strong reputation in the dark tea industry as it also makes fu tea for other brands in China. Golden Flowers Fu bricks owe their special flavour to ‘golden flowers’. These are beneficial microorganisms, which can be found in dark tea. For most dark teas they develop when they’re stored under right conditions. However, the golden flowers in fu bricks are not the result of aging, instead, they’re are intentionally developed during the processing of the tea. Fu Brick History In 1068 AD (Northern Song Dynasty) tea merchants accidentally discovered golden flowers growing on the tea leaves. At first, they thought it was mold and sold it at a low price. Unexpectedly, many tea drinkers loved its flavour. Hence, tea producers continuously researched how to improve and commercialise such a tea. It wasn’t until 1368 AD such kind of Fu tea gained its official name. Raw material from southern Shaanxi and Sichuan were sent to Futian for processing, they named the tea: Fu tea. The tea became so popular that 30% to 50% of production was bought up by the imperial court during the Qing dynasty.