Regular price ¥2,400
SUMMARY
Type: Dark Tea
Origin: Xiamen, Fujian, China
Earthy, Wet Bark, Red Dates
In 2011, the Xiamen branch of CNNP (aka Zhong Cha) was invited by the Yiyang
municipal govt. to come to Hunan to discuss and exchange ideas around tea making.
Xiamen is located in Fujian province, one of the key regions that produces Oolong tea,
whilst in Hunan, they’re known for their Dark, fermented teas.
Oftentimes, the raw tea material used in the production of Dark teas is of a lower
grade when compared to say an Oolong tea. This is because the fermentation process
changes the characteristics of the tea to such an extent that the delicate and complex
notes of higher grade leaves are thought to get lost in the process. But was this really the case? What if there was a way to combine the higher grade and unique flavour components of an Oolong tea with the mellow and health-promoting elements of a Dark tea?
The R&D team took the likes of Tie Guan Yin, Da Hong Pao, Shui Xian, Huang Jin Gui, Fo Shou and a number of other Oolong types from Fujian and produced them into a Dark tea, tweaking parameters with each iteration until they found the right method to be able to stably produce Dark tea from Oolong tea leaves. With all of the Oolong teas that were experimented on, the Fo Shou or Buddha’s Palm stood out as the favourite varietal. The leaves from this Yongchun Oolong are large, thick and rich in fibre and, once the leaves were processed as a Dark tea, the level of flavonoids and theaflavins were one to two times greater than what was present in the other teas.
The process for developing and scaling production of the Fermented Oolong took over 6 years and finally, in 2017, the first iteration of this tea became available to consumers. This Fermented Oolong is from a second batch made in 2018.
TASTING NOTES
An earthy, smooth and warming tea with a thick, luscious mouthfeel and sweet aftertaste.
PREPARATION NOTES
Gong-Fu style (preferred method)
5g per 80 – 100ml of water
95 – 100 degrees Celsius
5 – 10 secs per infusion* (up to 15 infusions)
*First infusion is a quick 3 – 5 sec rinse and isn't drunk.
Teapot steep
5g per 300ml of water 95 – 100 degrees Celsius 2mins
STORAGE
Proper tea storage is super important. Improper storage leads to flat, flavourless and potentially weird tasting tea. So as a rule of thumb, keep your tea leaves in an airtight container (the less air inside the better) and away from heat, light, moisture and strong odours.