Overview
Cha Yu Lin (茶语林) is a brand/ distributor primarily of Fu Zhuan,1 Tian Jian,2 and Qian Liang teas.3 It also sells some Hua Zhuan,4 Hei Zhuan,5 and Gong Jian.6 It was apparently established around 2004 or 2005.
Their products are all heicha7 (黑茶, dark tea/ post-fermented tea) grown in Anhua county (安化县).
Commonalities and Tea Reviews
I have not yet tried more than a few of their teas, so I cannot personally yet say if they have a house style.
That said, heicha as a whole falls into common tasting notes. One of my friends puts them into three archetypes: hay, raisin, and mushroom yeast. Of course, if a tea is smoked or roasted, it will likely also have those smoky or roast notes. My experiences with the few CYL teas I’ve had so far haven’t deviated far from those common tasting notes.
Of tasting notes provided by vendors, here’s the frequency of different notes (includes duplicate notes from multiple years of the same tea). Sweet (11), Fruit (9), Smoke (6), Honey (5), Spice/y/s (4), Peat (4), Molasses (3), Hay (3), Astringent (2), Yeast (2), Mushroom (2), Pear (1). “Sweet” is a tasting note common to a majority of all teas, and is fairly meaningless.
Across all their products, they’ve had mixed reviews from members of The Tea Table discord. However, some of their best teas have rave reviews, being among the all-time favourite teas of several members.
The Good
Cha Yu Lin "Liu Bu Xi Village" Tian Jian Basket Tea, or CYLLBXVTJ, is their most well-liked tea among discord users. At the time of publication, five members regarded it highly, although two others were not fans. This is one of their pricier teas at 20c/g. Yunnan Sourcing describes the tasting notes as “smoky, peaty, molasses type tian jian. It's very sweet and full-bodied as well. Very rich and complex.” I would add that it is incredibly smooth and dangerously easy to drink. The complexity of the flavours is more of an intermingling than multiple distinct tasting notes. Brews up great with most any method.
Cha Yu Lin "Monkey Jian" Tian Jian Hei Cha Tea is liked by two members and disliked by none. Members say it is “Piney, woodsy, foresty/ lil bit of smoke/ some huigan on it” and “More on the roasty end of the spectrum than smoky.”
Cha Yu Lin "Korla Pear Aroma" Hua Zhuan Tea of Hunan is their only other tea currently with more than one member who highly regards it; there is one person who isn’t a fan. YS’s tasting notes say “thick creamy hei cha with a pear-like fruitiness.” I would say that’s accurate, though to me the pear was closer to raisin than to other sweeter fruits. Brews okay western, but is probably better suited to boiling or gongfu.
The Fine
CYL currently has no teas that are more poorly-received than well-received. Teas with middling or few reviews include:
Cha Yu Lin "Gong Jian Tea" Hunan Anhua Hei Cha is liked by one member. YS’s tasting notes are “smooth, sweet, fruity and viscous”. My only complaint with it is that I’m too lazy to boil it to brew it properly; to me, it was fair for the price. I expect to revise my review of this one upward after I give it a bit more TLC while brewing. Does not brew well western.
Cha Yu Lin "Qian Liang Cha" Hunan Hei Cha Tea has strong compression and requires boiling or thermosing. It is liked by one member. Without an appropriate extraction, it was fine with weak notes of hay at higher drinking temperatures and mushroom and malt at lower drinking temperatures. I’ll revise my opinion after giving it another attempt. YS’s tasting notes say something similar, “spicy, sweet, thick, with hints of brewer's yeast and mushrooms”.
The Bad
CYL currently has no widely disliked teas among discord members!
Terroir
All of CYL’s teas are grown in Anhua county. A few of their common sources are Tianchihu (天池湖, Tianchi Lake?), Liubuxi village (六步溪, “Six Steps Creek”), Houzijian (猴子尖, “Monkey Peak”), Gaoma village (高马). Other places include the villages of Jiulongchi (九龙池村), Beiwan (北湾),Yanxi (烟溪镇), and Wangxi (网溪), as well as the mountains of Gaojia (高家山) and Yuntai (云台山), and Furong forest (芙蓉林场).8
Production and Storage
I do not know where their storage is located, or if they have a unified location for all of the brand’s products.
They appear to have their products made by multiple manufacturers/ factories, including but not limited to:
Anhua Bianjiang Tea Co., Ltd. at Guangming Road, Jiangnan Town, Anhua County, Hunan Province
Anhua County Jiuhong Tea Co., Ltd. at Dayang Village, Yanxi Town, Anhua County, Hunan Province
Anhua Chenji Tea Co., Ltd. at Kuixi Town, Anhua County, Hunan Province
Haoming Tea at Tea Market H2, Heshan District, Yiyang City, Hunan Province
Purchasing
They have an official taobao page, https://chayu-lin.world.taobao.com/. Western vendors that sell their products currently include Yunnan Sourcing and West China Tea.
Western prices for their products, new and old, range from 7c/g to 33c/g, with an average of 13c/g and median of 11c/g. When including taobao products, the average increases to 16c/g.
The average of all similar heichas (including CYL) is 17c/g, making CYL a slightly lower-cost brand.
Products
This is not a complete list, just the products available at western vendors and easily on taobao at the moment. The company doesn’t seem to have a lot of products with snazzy branding or names. A few products with unique names or taglines that have been sold across multiple years include 29 Steeps, Wealth Rolling In, and Monkey Peak North Bay.
2010
Cha Yu Lin "Lao Tong You Xiang" Hunan Fu Brick Tea
Cha Yu Lin "Qian Liang Cha" Hunan Hei Cha Tea
Cha Yu Lin "Monkey Jian" Tian Jian Hei Cha Tea
【Jiulongchi】Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2010 Birdcage Tea 1800g Full Fire Roasted Spring Tea Tianjian Material [【九龍池】安化黑茶茶语林2010年鸟笼茶1800g全火焙春茶天尖料]
[Monkey Peak North Bay] Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2010 Tianjian No. 1 125g Korean Shopkeeper Private Collection Tea [【猴子尖北湾】安化黑茶茶语林2010年天尖壹號125g韩掌柜私藏茶]
[Gao Ma Core] Anhua Black Tea 2010 Grade 2 Grade 4 50g Cloth Bag Tea [Fully Fire Roasted Spring Tea Material]
Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2010 [Ten Years Old] Shenxian Cave Qianliang Tea Granules 150g Aged Fragrance [安化黑茶 茶语林2010年【十年陈】神仙洞千两茶颗粒150g陈香突显]
Anhua Black Tea, Cha Yu Lin Customized, 2010 Jinhua Qianliang Tea Cake, Authentic Anhua Jianshan Raw Materials [安化黑茶 茶语林定制 2010年金花千两茶饼 道地安化尖山原料]
2011
n/a
2012
Cha Yu Lin "29 Steeps" Fu Rong Mountain Fu Brick Tea
Cha Yu Lin "Korla Pear Aroma" Hua Zhuan Tea of Hunan
Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2012 Six-sided Tuo 250g Fruity Brick Tea Granules [10g*25 pcs] [安化黑茶 茶语林2012年六方砣250g果香型花砖茶颗粒【10g*25颗】]
Anhua black tea Cha Yu Lin 800g original leaf Fu tea 2012 Fu brick tea fungus fragrance obvious 2010 Tianchi Lake material [安化黑茶茶语林800g原叶茯茶2012年茯砖茶菌香明显2010年天池湖料]
[Twenty-nine] Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2012 Hand-made Fu Tea 1kg Selected Anhua Hibiscus Pure Material [【二十九道】安化黑茶茶语林2012年手筑茯茶1kg精选安化芙蓉纯料]
Anhua Black Tea 2012 Cha Yu Lin 800g Original Leaf Fu Tea Fu Brick Tea Fungus Fragrance [Experience the Ancient Method] [安化黑茶 2012年茶语林800g原叶茯茶茯砖茶菌香明显【领略古法】]
Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2012 [Twenty-Nine] Hand-made Fucha Hibiscus Pure Material Tasting Tea 7g*5 Cups [安化黑茶茶语林2012年【二十九道】手筑茯茶芙蓉纯料品鉴茶7g*5泡]
2013
Cha Yu Lin "Wu Long Mountain" Fu Brick Tea with Golden Flowers
Cha Yu Lin "Gong Jian Tea" Hunan Anhua Hei Cha
Cha Yu Lin "Bai Liang Cha" Hunan Tea
Cha Yu Lin "Hua Mei" Hunan Tian Jian Tea
Anhua black tea Cha Yu Lin 2013 Furongshan material Yipinfu Fu brick tea 750g golden flower fine mushroom fragrance rich [安化 黑茶茶语林2013年芙蓉山料一品福茯砖茶750g金花细密菌香浓郁]
[Thrush] Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2013 Liubuxi Wilderness Full Fire Roasted Spring Tea 85g with obvious rosin [【画眉】安化黑茶茶语林2013年六步溪荒野全火焙春茶85g松香明显]
[Private collection tea] Anhua black tea Cha Yu Lin whole leaf stemless 2013 1kg hand-made Fu brick tea Furong mountain material [【私藏茶】安化黑茶茶语林全叶无梗2013年1kg手筑茯砖茶芙蓉山料]
[Six Steps Creek Core] Authentic Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2013 Bailiang Cake 150g Full Fire Roasted Spring Tea Material [【六步溪核心】道地安化黑茶茶语林2013年百两饼150g全火焙春茶料]
Cha Yu Lin Anhua Black Tea Anhua Quality Made in 2013 900g Hand-made Fuzhuan Tea Anhua Furong Mountain Material Barren Mountain Tea [茶语林安化黑茶安化质造2013年900g手筑茯砖茶安化芙蓉山料荒山茶]
2014
Cha Yu Lin "Quan Ye Wu Gen" Fu Zhuan Tea
[Anhua quality] Anhua black tea ChaYu Lin 2014 hand-made original leaf Fu tea 400g Furong Mountain barren mountain material [【安化质造】安化黑茶茶语林2014年手筑原叶茯茶400g芙蓉山荒山料]
2015
Cha Yu Lin "Lao Tong You Xiang" Hunan Fu Brick Tea
Recommended by Han Zhanggui Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2015 Full Leaf Stemless Handmade Fu Tea 1kg Golden Flower Fu Brick Tea [韩掌柜推荐 安化黑茶茶语林2015年全叶无梗手筑茯茶1kg金花茯砖茶]
[Tianchi Lake] Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2015 Yipinfang Fuzhuan Tea 1kg Golden Flower Fine Mushroom Fragrance [【天池湖】安化黑茶 茶语林2015年一品方茯砖茶1kg金花细密菌香浓]
【Jiulongchi】Anhua Dark Tea Cha Yu Lin 2015 Qianliang Tea Short Cut 6.8kg Full Fire Roasted Spring Tea Material [【九龍池】安化黑茶茶语林2015年千两茶短截6.8kg全火焙春茶料]
【Jiulongchi】Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2015 Qianliang Tea Cake 600g Full Fire Roasted Spring Tea Material [【九龍池】安化黑茶茶语林2015年千两茶饼600g全火焙春茶料]
Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2015 Old Tung Oil Fragrance Hand-made Fu Brick 2600g Mushroom Fragrance [安化黑茶 茶语林2015年老桐油香手筑茯砖2600g菌香明显]
Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2015 Full Leaf W Stem Handmade Fuzhou Tea Canned 80g Bright Red Tea with Rich Fungus Aroma [安化黑茶 茶语林2015年全叶W梗手筑茯茶罐装80g汤色红亮菌香浓郁]
2016
Cha Yu Lin "Yi Lu Feng Jue" Hunan Fu Brick Tea
Cha Yu Lin "Wang Xi Village" Wild Tian Jian Hei Cha in Basket
Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2016 380g Yilufengjue Fu Tea Tianjian Grade 1 Material Golden Flower Fine [安化黑茶 茶语林2016年380g一路封爵茯茶 天尖一级料金花细密]
[Monkey Peak North Bay] Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2016 Black Brick 950g 2014 Full Fire Roasted Gaoma Material 【猴子尖北湾】安化黑茶茶语林2016年黑砖950g2014年全火焙高马料
[Gao Ma Core] Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2016 Qian Liang Tea Cake 700g Full Fire Roasted Spring Tea Material [【高马核心】安化黑茶茶语林2016年千两茶饼700g全火焙春茶料]
Anhua black tea, Cha Yu Lin, 2016 Tianjian tea, 1kg, Liubuxi core full fire roasted spring tea, Tianjian first grade material [安化黑茶茶语林2016年天尖茶1kg六步溪核心全火焙春茶天尖一级料]
[Monkey Peak North Bay] Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2016 Black Brick Granules 250g Full Fire Roasted Gaoma Material [【猴子尖北湾】安化黑茶 茶语林2016年黑砖颗粒250g 全火焙高马料]
[Monkey Peak North Bay] Anhua Black Tea 2016 Cha Yu Lin 200g Monkey Black Brick [One] Upgraded Edition [【猴子尖北湾】安化黑茶2016年茶语林200g猴子小黑砖【壹】升级版]
2017
n/a
2018
[Wealth Rolling in] Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2018 Qianliang Cake Liubuxi Core Full Fire Roasted Spring Tea Material [【财源滚滚】安化黑茶茶语林2018年千两饼六步溪核心全火焙春茶料]
[Gao Ma Core] Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2018 Black Brick Chocolate Tea 240g Full Fire Roasted Spring Tea Material [【高马核心】安化黑茶茶语林2018年黑砖巧克力茶240g全火焙春茶料]
[Gao Ma Core] Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2018 Qian Liang Tea Cake 700g Full Fire Roasted Spring Tea Material [【高马核心】安化黑茶茶语林2018年千两茶饼700g全火焙春茶料]
Anhua dark tea Cha Yu Lin 2018 5kg Tianjian tea Anhua Liubuxi core full fire roasted spring tea first grade material [安化黑茶茶语林2018年5kg天尖茶安化六步溪核心全火焙春茶一级料]
2019
n/a
2020
[Wealth Rolling in] Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2020 Qianliang Cake Liubuxi Core Full Fire Roasted Spring Tea Material [【财源滚滚】安化黑茶茶语林2020年千两饼六步溪核心全火焙春茶料]
[Gao Ma Core] Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin 2020 3.625kg Bai Liang Tea Full Fire Roasted Spring Tea Material [【高马核心】安化黑茶茶语林2020年3.625kg百两茶全火焙春茶料]
2021
Cha Yu Lin "Gao Ma Village" Wild Tian Jian in Basket
[Gao Ma Core] Anhua black tea Cha Yu Lin 1kg bamboo basket loose tea second level fourth and fifth level full fire roasted spring tea material [【高马核心】安化黑茶茶语林1kg竹篓散茶二级四五等全火焙春茶料]
Cha Yu Lin "Liu Bu Xi Village" Tian Jian Basket Tea
2022
Anhua black tea Cha Yu Lin 22 ancient tree Tianjian tea 500g Liubuxi core full fire roasted spring tea Tianjian first grade material [安化黑茶茶语林22古树天尖茶500g六步溪核心全火焙春茶天尖一级料]
2023
n/a
2024
n/a
Unknown Year
Han Zhanggui recommends Anhua black tea, Cha Yu Lin jinhua small fossil hand-made Fu tea 1000g, pressed for ten years [韩掌柜推荐安化黑茶茶语林金花小化石手筑茯茶1000g压仓十年老料]
[Wealth Rolling in] Anhua Black Tea Cha Yu Lin Ten Liang Tea Six Steps Creek Core Full Fire Roasted Spring Tea Tianjian Material [【财源滚滚】安化黑茶茶语林十两茶六步溪核心全火焙春茶天尖料]
Qian Liang 千两: “1000 Liang” a format of compressed tea where the leaves are shaped into a 36kg column/ log. Smaller increments may be referred to by their size (Bai Liang 百两 = 100, Shi Liang 十两 = 10) Source 1
Hua Zhuan 花砖茶: “Flower Brick” fermented black tea.
Hei Zhuan 黑砖茶: “Black Brick” fermented black tea.
Gong Jian 贡尖: a lower grade of leaf picking, but still not the lowest.
All pressed teas are defined in chinese standard GB/T 9833. Not all heicha are pressed, but many are. Source 1
I also found many references Jian Mountain (尖山), and Wulong Mountain (烏龍山). I suspect but cannot confirm that those are actually just general descriptions of them being high/ mountain tea, not that they’re actually from mountains with those names. If someone who knows chinese could chip in, I’d appreciate it.