Origins of Jinhua Fuzhuan Tea? What is Jinhua Fuzhuan Tea?

What are the origins of Jinhua Fuzhuan Tea? The Jinhua Fuzhuan Tea often seen in TV dramas refers to Anhua Fuzhuan tea, a type of Anhua dark tea. During the manufacturing process, this tea naturally develops a beneficial fungus known as “Jinhua” (golden flower), which is why it is also called Jinhua Fuzhuan tea. While its raw tea originates from Anhua, legend has it that it was developed by merchants from Jingyang, Shaanxi, hence it is also known as Jingyang Fuzhuan tea.

Origins of Jinhua Fuzhuan Tea

First, let’s briefly introduce Jinhua Fuzhuan tea, which is Anhua Fuzhuan brick tea. The history of Fuzhuan brick tea can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty. At that time, Shaanxi merchants took advantage of their geographical convenience to engage in various trades, including tea and salt. Jingyang, Shaanxi became the central processing and inspection hub for border tea trade. The tea was initially transported to Jingyang in the form of loose dark tea from Hunan, and then pressed into bricks through complex processes for easier transportation and storage.

The process of making Fuzhuan brick tea is extremely intricate. First, loose tea is mixed with local wild tea leaves, then subjected to multiple processes such as chopping and stir-frying, and finally pressed into brick shapes, sometimes with herbs added to enhance flavor and health benefits. People in Jingyang discovered during the production process that under specific temperatures and humidity levels, “golden flowers” (Eurotium cristatum) would naturally grow, and the tea would taste better. Since then, Jinhua Fuzhuan brick tea has become a specialty of Jingyang, and there was even a saying in the early days that “without Jingyang water, Fuzhuan brick tea cannot be made.”

However, after the 1960s, tea makers discovered that the golden flower fungus forms naturally under specific humidity and temperature, thus breaking the myth that Fuzhuan tea could only be made with Jingyang water. Since then, the production of Jinhua Fuzhuan tea moved from Jingyang, Shaanxi back to its origin of tea leaves, Anhua, Hunan. Anhua has since become the main production and processing region for Fuzhuan brick tea.

What Makes Jinhua Fuzhuan Tea Special

Jinhua Fuzhuan tea is popular because its “golden flowers”—Eurotium cristatum—transform the flavor of the tea, reducing bitterness and astringency while making it smooth and mellow, while also producing a unique fragrance and legendary benefits for digestive health. The technique that induces these golden flowers in the tea is called “fahua” (fermentation/flower-growing). Initially, this was only used on Anhua Fuzhuan brick tea. Since Jinhua Fuzhuan tea gained popularity, other Anhua dark teas—including Qianliang tea and Qingzhuan tea—have successively adopted the fahua technique, and golden flowers can even be seen in certain Pu-erh and Fuding white teas. This speaks volumes about the popularity of Jinhua Fuzhuan tea.