- Production year: 2013
- Storage: Hunan
- Bag weight: 248g
- Price: USD 55
- Availability: In stock
For a background on Yongtaifu (永泰福), see the listing for the 2010 Furong QLC.
If you were to ask what the company is currently most known for the most obvious answer would be their Xiangyaxi (香崖溪, a made up name for an area whose precise location appreas to be a company secret, though it’s speculated to be in the greater Gaomaerxi area) materials and “hupi” (虎皮, literally “Tiger skin”) processing.
MOFCOM’s company introduction mentions both:
“其名品“香崖溪”千两茶有显著的樟香松香味。永泰福茶号之“虎皮”，亦是安化黑茶中的高端之作，其特殊工艺形成的高火香或焦糖香，与武夷大红袍、正山小种并称“三绝”。”
As for the tiger skin processing, it’s considered extremely different to pull off and almost no companies do it. (Besides Yongtaifu I’ve only seen Shanyoude and Baishaxi released hupi productions, the latter two only in more recent years, though I may have missed other examples. Supposedly “fakes” exist too, where an additional fermentation step followed by high-heat drying in an automatic dryer is used to create a poor imitation.) You want the leaves to char (焦) but not burn (糊) which requires very precise temperature control for a prolonged period of time . “Bad results” can range from tea being burnt to the whole factory burning down (which supposedly happened to Yongtaifu’s old factory, the entire thing burnt down during a hupi roasting with only two signs being saved from the fires). Good results means a well balanced roast with a hint of caramel (more noticeable as time goes by, the balance improves with the gradual reduction and integration of the smoke).
Two words on shengjian, the category to which the tea on offer here belongs, are probably in order. It’s one of the “three jians”, the loose leaf family of Anhua heicha, the other two (commonly mentioned, there are actually more than three) being tianjian and gongjian. In terms of “tenderness” tianjian (天尖) is the highest grade (stem content limited to <= 5%), gongjian (贡尖) is the second grade (stem content <= 8%) and shengjian (生尖) is the third grade (stem content <= 15%). Meaning shengjian is the cruder of the three (in terms of leaf size and allowed stem content), though as always, don’t read crude as “bad” or “lesser”.
It does typically translate to less punchiness though. This 2013 shengjian tea combines Xiangyaxi materials with hupi processing. It is mellow and warming, and veers into more herbal, caramelly territory. I recommend using plenty of leaf with this one (even those of you who prefer lower ratios that my general recommendations call for)
An interesting comparison to the 2021 “Hupi” Xiangyaxi QLC since the roast has had eight more years to settle on this one.
Note: This tea may contain golden flowers (Jinhua/金花), a perfectly natural occurrence in certain heicha teas. Their development depends on factors like microbial activity, storage conditions, and time. However, individuals with Celiac Disease or severe gluten allergies should exercise caution, as we cannot guarantee that no wheat-based materials were involved at any stage of production.
