Fu Cha + Ripe Pu-erh
One of my customers suggested I try something a little unconventional — blending Fu Brick Tea with Ripe Pu-erh. I finally gave it a go today, and honestly? I'm so glad I did.
I used Jingyang Fu Cha paired with a 2021 Ripe Puerh — 3.5g each in a 100ml gaiwan. Both teas I know well. I've tasted them countless times on their own. But together? Completely different experience.
The aroma in the cup leaned unmistakably Fu Cha — that warm, earthy mushroom note front and center. But the first sip opened with the familiar depth of ripe pu-erh, and only in the finish did the Fu Cha character gradually emerge — the Jin Hua funk, the dry earthiness, that signature aftertaste. Neither one overpowered the other. They just… coexisted in this unexpected, layered way.
I went with longer steeps throughout, letting each infusion sit. By the 5th steep, the flavors started to mellow and fade, but the session still felt complete — like a slow, honest conversation between two very different teas.
The spent leaves told their own story too — the compressed Fu Brick loosening up alongside the darker, finer ripe pu-erh leaves. A quiet reminder of how different their journeys were before ending up in the same bowl.
Would I do this again? Absolutely. Is this going to become a thing? Maybe it should be.