30g 2009 Terra Umbra Fuzhuan 影地茯砖

2009 Terra Umbra Fuzhuan (影地茯砖, Yǐng De Fúzhuān, "Ying De Fuzhuan") - Terra Umbra is a 400 gram brick of Fúzhuān (茯砖), a style of fermented tea or Hēichá (黑茶) from Hunan that was traditionally traded on the Tea Horse Road to Central Asia, where it was exchanged for horses (similar to Pǔ'ěr from Yunnan). Unlike Pǔ'ěr, Fúzhuān is colonized by a distinctive mold called Eurotium cristatum, known in Chinese as Jīnhuā (金花) or "Golden Flower". Studies suggest that this mold may colonize the gut and have beneficial effects on digestive and metabolic health as part of the microbiota, but West China Tea encourages you to do your own research on the topic of health and consult a physician. As far as the taste goes, it is darker and earthier than the younger Cashew Butter, while being more floral-and-almond fragrant than the older vintages like Black Lodge and Dark Potion. Like those other Fúzhuān, Terra Umbra is produced by the Xiang Lu Shan Heicha Factory, which has been managed since the 1970's by the Lu family, and who purchased the factory when private ownership of tea factories became possible in the 1990's.