Tibetan Dark Tea
Dark tea is one of the six major types of Chinese teas and is known as "Hei Cha", or "Black Tea" in Chinese. This can often cause confusion with Western tea drinkers, as it is a completely different type of tea than the Western "black tea" and rarely found outside of China.
Dark tea is made by picking tea leaves, withering, heating them in a "kill-green" step, and then repeatedly piling, fermenting, kneading, and drying the leaves to produce a highly oxidized, super dark, and very complex-tasting tea.
Chinese have drunk dark teas for over 1000 years, believing it to aid in digestion.
Tibetan Dark Tea
The legend of Tibetan Dark Tea starts with the Tang Dynasty princess Wencheng, who brought tea, silk, and ink to Tibet in the year 624 as bride gifts when marrying into the Tibetan royal line. This linking of Tibet and China led to tea being exchanged throughout both regions.
Tibetan Dark tea is ubiquitous in any area with Tibetan populations and is prepared in a variety of ways, including Yak Butter Tea. It is used by Tibetans as a digestive aid, which is vital on the Tibetan Plateau, where extreme altitude makes dietary health challenging.
Our Tibetan tea comes from Yan'an, in Sichuan Province, on the Tibetan plateau. It has a deep, funky, musty flavor that is very warming in the stomach and complex on the palate. It has some nutty notes, as well as sweetness, and pairs well with heavy food, or used as a base in milk tea.
Tang Princess Wencheng (right), who got this whole thing started
Jesse Says:
Dark teas are underrepresented on my site right now, and so I am glad to get another good one up here. While Pu'er, especially Shou Pu'er, is made with similar technique to Dark Tea, the flavor is distinct and worth trying.
I personally had a mixed reaction to Dark tea my first time drinking it, but after a second and a third serving found I really liked it. This is my perfect tea for during/after a big meal, since it feels so warm in the stomach.
The funkiness of the tea takes a bit of time to get used to, and I encourage new drinkers to start with very short steep times and work their way up to fit their taste. Oversteeping will not make the tea bitter per se, but very potent and may be a bit overwhelming for new drinkers.
Dark tea can be stored indefinitely and will continue to age and get smoother with time.
VALUE AND QUALITY
Want the best value? Try the 100g or 200g options and save!
Jesse's Teahouse started because Jesse realized the quality and value of the tea directly from the Beijing Tea Market was so much higher than what could be easily found in the States -- and around the world.
Jesse contacted his tea friends, they shipped their best teas to him, and he sends them to you. That's it!
These teas are high quality and can be re-steeped multiple times! Each serving makes between 4-8 cups of tea, so at around $.50 a cup, you get top quality Chinese teas at a price that you can enjoy every day.
NOT JUST TEA, TEA CULTURE
Jesse believes the key to making good tea is to help his Chinese tea friends share not just their best teas, but the best ways to make the teas.
That's why each box comes also comes with an info card that tells you:
- Tea Origin
- Steep Temperature
- Steep Time
- Directions for both teapot steeping and gaiwan steeping
All Jesse’s Teahouse Tea Friends (that’s you now!) also get access to private YouTube videos where Jesse and his Chinese tea friends show you how to make the teas and explain the tea-making process.
The links are on QR codes on the back of the info card included in the tea box.
Don't Forget Your Tea Pets!
In Chinese Gongfu Tea Tradition, Tea Pets accompany you at teatime and you "raise" them by feeding them tea! Check out the tea pets at the bottom of this page.
