Anhua "Jin Hua" Fu Brick Tea (Hei Cha), Hunan, 2016

Anhua "Jin Hua" Fu brick tea (金花茯砖茶) from Hunan — a hei cha (dark tea), not pu-erh, though we're filing it alongside our pu-erh for now since the site doesn't have a dedicated dark tea section yet. Pressed in June 2016, so this is a genuinely aged cake, not a young one dressed up to look older.

The defining feature of real Fu brick tea is "jin hua" (金花, "golden flowers") — a specific, well-documented fungus (Eurotium cristatum) that develops inside the brick during traditional processing, visible as small golden specks through the compressed leaf. It's a real marker of proper fermentation and craftsmanship in this category, not a decorative name — a Fu brick without visible jin hua is generally considered under-fermented.

As with any aged dark tea, a quick rinse before the first real infusion is standard practice — Chinese guides to hei cha are specific about this, since older compressed tea can carry storage dust that a first quick rinse clears. Brew hot (95–100°C) with a short first steep.