Description
Tian Jian ('Heaven's Tip') is the highest grade of Hunan dark tea, distinguished from the more common compressed brick teas by its use of tender spring buds and young leaves and its loose-leaf format. Produced in Anhua County, the same region as Fu Zhuan, Tian Jian undergoes pile fermentation but retains a lighter, more nuanced profile thanks to its finer raw material. The infusion is a clear reddish-amber with a sweet, pine-smoke fragrance, notes of dried longan, dates, and a clean, dry finish. Tian Jian ages gracefully and was historically reserved as a tribute tea for the imperial court.
Guide de brassage
Contenant recommandé: Porcelain gaiwan or Yixing teapot
Tian Jian's tender buds and young leaves make it the most refined Hunan dark tea. Rinse once quickly. Start with 20-25 second steeps. The pine-smoke and dried longan notes emerge beautifully in the 3rd-5th infusions. Less aggressive than shou Pu-erh, making it a good gateway into dark teas.