Qian Liang (千兩茶)

tea imagery: Tea column

Qian liang is a dark tea from Anhua, Hunan, pressed into a tall cylinder. Thousand liang refers to its traditional weight: a full-sized column contains about 36.25 kg of tea. Slices and small portions are available for home brewing. Flavours can include wood, dried herbs and occasionally resinous or fruity notes.

History

It belongs to the huajuan family of compressed tea rolls with woven wrappers. The format developed during the nineteenth century for transporting tea; smaller versions include bai liang, or hundred liang. First, dark maocha is made by heating, rolling, moist piling and drying the leaves. This material is then sorted, blended, steamed to soften it and packed tightly into its wrapper. Woven bamboo forms the outside, with palm fibres and a leaf lining within. Traditional air drying takes several weeks, with the schedule depending on the producer and weather.

The packaging also acts as a mould. Workers tighten the woven casing and compress the leaves using wooden levers in coordinated movements. A photograph of the whole column helps explain the craft; a small slice is enough to explore the tea.

Terroir

Anhua county, Hunan. Depends on the gardens supplying the leaves. Varies between growing sites. Humid subtropical climate; tea is protected from rain during drying. Choose by sample flavour, producer and storage conditions. Young tea can be enjoyed too; ageing does not guarantee an improvement.

Leaf

dry leaf: Often sold as a slice of the column or pieces of compressed brown leaves and stems.

aroma in a warmed vessel: Wood, dried herbs and sometimes resinous notes.

aroma after brewing: Woody and herbal, possibly with fruit or smoke.

taste: Ranges from light and herbal to fuller and woody. Sweetness, some bitterness and astringency are possible.

finish: Notice whether sweetness lingers and how dry your mouth feels after a sip.

Properties

Traditional descriptions: Dark tea is often described as warming in traditional tea writing.

What to know: Fermentation and later ageing change composition and aroma. Drying, pressing density and brewing also affect flavour.

Over a cup of tea: For comparing several infusions at an unhurried pace.

Caffeine: Contains caffeine. Tea age cannot tell you the amount in a cup; drink earlier in the day if you are sensitive to it.

How to brew

A 150 ml gaiwan or small teapot. 5 g per 150 ml at 100 °C. Use a small, already separated portion. Time for each infusion: 25 s, 20 s, 30 s, 45 s, 60 s, 90 s.

When to drink

Morning or daytime. Cool weather. When you want to compare compressed dark teas. Figs, walnuts or plain biscuits. With one or a few other tea drinkers

What to notice

Look at the leaves and stems in the slice.
Compare the first brew with an infusion made after the piece has loosened.
Note the strength you enjoy most.

Questions and answers

How do you brew Qian Liang?

A 150 ml gaiwan or small teapot. 5 g per 150 ml at 100 °C. Use a small, already separated portion. Time for each infusion: 25 s, 20 s, 30 s, 45 s, 60 s, 90 s.

What does Qian Liang taste like?

Ranges from light and herbal to fuller and woody. Sweetness, some bitterness and astringency are possible.

How much caffeine is in Qian Liang?

Contains caffeine. Tea age cannot tell you the amount in a cup; drink earlier in the day if you are sensitive to it.

What else should I know about Qian Liang?

Fermentation and later ageing change composition and aroma. Drying, pressing density and brewing also affect flavour.