Qimen Ancha

Qimen Ancha

　　Qimen Ancha is a post-fermented black tea (the only black tea produced in Anhui). Its production method differs from that of both black tea and green tea. The former first undergoes fermentation to turn the juice red, while the latter is first fixed to keep the juice green. However, the production of Qimen Ancha is quite unique. Its raw materials are graded according to picking time, from top bud, tribute tip, Maojian, Grade 1, to Grade 2. These are generally picked and processed between Qingming and Grain Rain. The leaves and stems are sun-withered, lightly rolled to make rough tea, and then, preferably after White Dew in August of the same year, undergo more than ten processes including steaming, sun-drying, and night dew exposure. Finally, the tea is compressed and packed into small bamboo baskets (each small basket holds 3 jin of tea, and each large basket holds 20 small baskets), then placed in a drying cabinet to be baked into oval-shaped blocks, taking the shape of the basket capacity.

　　“Ancha” is a historic famous tea from Qimen, commonly known as “soft branch tea.” The Yongle-era “Qichang Records” mention soft branch tea. Before the birth of “Qihong,” “Ancha” enjoyed high prestige and was produced in large quantities. “Ancha” was exclusively sold to Guangdong and then resold to Southeast Asia. In 1988, at the provincial premium tea competition, due to its outstanding quality and unique style, it was awarded the title of Special Premium Tea. It is highly reputed in eastern Guangdong and stands alongside the “Six Famous Teas of Huizhou.” Its strips are tightly rolled, even, and uniform, with a dark brown and glossy color. The aroma is rich, elegant, and refreshing. More remarkably, it is not only an excellent beverage but also a medicinal tea. It has long been used as a guiding herb in traditional prescriptions in Lingnan medicine. In Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia, it is revered as “sacred tea.” Modern pharmacological analysis has found that Ancha is rich in polyphenols, amino acids, and other substances, offering benefits such as quenching thirst, clearing heat, reducing internal heat, dispelling miasma, promoting longevity and vitality, sterilizing, preserving, and preventing cancer. It was rated as a Premium Special Tea of Anhui Province twice, in 1988 and 1992. In recent years, through repeated research, refinement, and improvement, its quality has continued to rise, and demand has surged, making it very popular in southern markets.

　　As mentioned earlier, soft branch tea is produced in various counties of Huizhou. However, after evolving into Ancha, it is only produced in Qimen County. This suggests that Ancha was created by the people of Qimen.

　　Before the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty, i.e., before the emergence of Qihong, the production area of Ancha in Qimen was very extensive. Since Ancha had good sales and was a major export tea at the time, it was produced all over the region, especially in the southwest. After the rise of Qihong, the Ancha production area shrank significantly, concentrating in the southwest’s Luxi and Rongkou areas, particularly around Dianbutan. There was also scattered production in Pingli, Qihong, and Zhukou, but it disappeared elsewhere.

　　The mountainous southwest region of Qimen is densely forested, often shrouded in clouds and mist, with abundant rainfall and suitable temperatures. Since ancient times, farmers here have extensively cultivated tea trees and possess rich tea-growing experience. Moreover, tea gardens are mostly located in valley mountains and along riverbanks and islets, where the soil is fertile. Especially the islet lands formed by river sedimentation are highly suitable for tea tree growth. For example, there are contiguous islet tea fields of seventy to eighty acres around Dianbutan, making it one of the best-quality tea gardens for producing Ancha.