Tea Types

Dark Tea (Hei Cha)

/HEY-chah/

The umbrella for all post-fermented teas — pu-erh, Liu Bao, Fu Zhuan, Anhua dark teas.

While pu-erh is the most famous, hei cha includes regional treasures like Anhua's Fu Zhuan brick (with its 'golden flower' fungus) and Guangxi's Liu Bao. All share microbial fermentation as their defining transformation.

Related terms

Words that travel together.

Pu-erh

Microbially fermented tea from Yunnan — the only true 'aged' tea, often pressed into cakes.

Fermentation

Microbial transformation of tea leaves over months or years — the secret of pu-erh and dark teas.

From the Journal

Read further.

Types of Tea9 min read

Pu-erh: The Aged Tea That Gets Better with Time

Sheng, shou, and the only tea family that genuinely improves over decades. A practical primer on the world's most rewarding (and confusing) tea.

by Sameera

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