Qianliang

The crown jewel of Hunan's dark tea is the massive qianliang log, the tightest pressed dark tea in the world. With a saw it is made into discs the outside of which look distinctly like bark.

Below is an excellent 1997 qianliang and above it is a slice from a log produced in 2008. Both are made from tea grown in the hills around Meicheng City, what was the capital of Anhua county before it was moved to Dongping. Unlike sheng puer, older qianliang discs become more fragrant even as the contrast between the individual leaves in that disc fade. Here the older disc has a powdery, undefined look to it, but the smell of the dry disk, the infusion itself, and the wet tea are surprisingly identical - an aroma of distant cinnamon, desert trees, and fertile earth. We will head into the hills where these leaves grew tomorrow.