- Production year: 2021
- Storage: Hunan
- Month cut: January 2026
- Log weight: 31.25 kg
- Slice weight: ~700g / slice (+/- 10%)
- Price: USD 70 / slice
- Availability: In stock
Guojin (国津) is one of those brands where the quality of the output is all over the place. The Benggeng series is a premium line of theirs, with QLC productions only done in 2017 (300 logs) and 2021 (99 logs).
“Core area” Furongshan material was used for this production, “wild” in the typically liberal sense applied to Anhua heicha. My understanding (of “the story”) is that the gardens were established in an old forest area after 1949 and then left untended from some point in the 90s, until Guojin (in their own words) put “a huge sum” into ownership and reestablishment of the gardens around 2016. I’ve attached some official promo pictures at the bottom here (high resolution as these always are…).
This QLC has a very clear Furongshan profile (woody, fruity, a hint of vanilla). To compare it to the typical profile of Xiangmuhai’s teas (probably the best known of the companies specializing in Furongshan teas), the latter seems both more fermented and oxidized. The Benggeng QLC has had a lighter treatment save for the roasting on the qixing stove, there is a nice, well-integrated smoke on this.
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.
