Fermented Tea Exploration Set

Set includes:

• Permian — 50g, 2019 Shaanxi Fu brick tea
• Obsidian — 50g, 2017 Ripe pu'er
• Complimentary comparison tea — 20g, 2013 Qian liang tea

Limited to 40 sets.

This set is designed for anyone who wants to explore the fascinating world of fermented tea a little further. Fermentation can radically transform the flavour and character of tea, and the teas in this set let you explore both the similarities and differences between different fermentation traditions.

Shaanxi Fu brick and ripe pu'er each undergo their own distinctive fermentation processes, which you can read more about here and here. For a deeper foray, we've also included a complimentary 20g sample of qian liang tea.

Qian liang tea is honestly one of the most fascinating teas I've come across. I even considered naming Foray after it, because it represents such a deep foray into the tea world. It's rarely encountered in the West and is visually a little on the weird side (see the image of me holding a slice!).

Qian liang tea—also known as thousand tael tea—undergoes a short piling process before the leaves are packed into enormous reed and bamboo cylinders, compressed incredibly tightly, and left to age. The finished tea looks something like a giant log and is usually cut into discs for sale—unless you're keen enough to buy the whole thing, which can weigh around 37kg.

Qian liang tea is also fantastic brewed in a thermos and makes a fascinating comparison with Permian. The two teas are a bit like cousins: qian liang cha and fu cha come from closely related tea-making traditions and, particularly in Hunan, are often produced by the same factories. However, in this case, Permian is a Shaanxi-style fu cha, so even though they’re closely related, you also get to explore the difference in regional production styles (gets nerdy, hey? haha). Another difference is that qian liang tea seems to like shorter brewing times. It brews up quite nicely in a pot (though give it a long rinse first) and it also needs only 30 minutes in a thermos to bring out it's flavours. Brewing them side by side is a great way to explore both their similarities and what makes each one distinct.