茯茶
Term · Classification
Fu tea
Literal meaning
Fu tea (fu, from 伏 'dog-days' or 茯苓; etymology disputed)
Definition#
A dark tea made with a fungal 'flowering' stage that develops the yellow structures called golden flowers. Fu tea is often pressed into bricks, but loose Fu tea also exists; the national heritage record for Xianyang explicitly describes both.
Translation and usage#
| Language | Use | Alternatives & cautions |
|---|---|---|
| English | Fu tea dark tea made with a golden-flower stage pinyin with a gloss |
Also acceptable
Avoid Fu pu'er not pu'er |
| Deutsch | Fu-Tee dunkler Tee mit „Goldenen Blüten“ pinyin with a gloss |
Also acceptable
|
| Русский | фу ча тёмный чай с «золотыми цветами» pinyin with a gloss |
Also acceptable
|
| 简体字繁體字 | 茯茶 | |
| 日本語 | 茯茶 磚状に圧縮したものと、散茶がある。 translation |
Also acceptable
|
Common confusions#
- The yellow spots are often taken for spoilage mould by Western buyers.
- Etymology claims (伏天 'dog days' processing vs 茯苓-like efficacy) are folk explanations; neither is firmly established.
- 发花 (fāhuā, traditional 發花) is also applied to Liubao: a Wuzhou draft group standard (T/WZCR 001-2023) describes inoculated golden-flower Liubao and sets 18–28 °C, 60–90% RH and about 45 days for the 发花 stage.