Black Tea - Dian Hong 2024
Different from other black teas, this is full-bodied, malty-rich, with a long floral sweet after-taste, with very light bitterness & astringency. Dian Hong Tea, “Dian” being the aboriginal word for Yunnan, “Hong” being red, translates to Yunnan Red Tea.
This varietal is from an organic wild forest tree of 300-to-500 years old, harvested from 1,200m up in the mountains of Northern Thailand. These wild trees were likely planted by either the Bulang or Dai ethnic people.
It also has strong "Cha Qi" (茶气), literally “tea’s energy” - an enigmatic concept whereby a mindful tea experience induces from deep within the drinker a range of emotions. Depending on how it resonates with the tea drinker, this could be, for instance, peaceful introspection, or invigorating clarify, or serene calmness.
Black Tea - Honey Bug-bitten 2022
A special combination of Honey Black approach on Jin Xuan Oolong reveals uncommon tea notes of honey and milk. This pairs beautifully with the woody-floral flavours and a sweet aftertaste.
Jin Xuan, also known as Nai Xiang [milky fragrance] actually just hints of milk and a buttery mouthfeel. It is a hybrid varietal developed in Taiwan in 1980, registered as Tai Cha #12, that has 20% higher yield than traditional varietals.
The story of Honey Black, also known as Mi Xiang [honey fragrance], links to a 1999 earthquake in Nantou [Taiwan], when farms were unattended to and allowing one of the pests, tea jassids, to thrive. Rather than to waste the harvest, most of the bug-bitten tea were pushed to the market, which was so successful that it spawned other types of Honey Black. One type of Mi Xiang was recently auctioned off at a record high price of USD56 per gram, testament to its popularity.
The tea plant releases aromas that attracts spiders when bitten, & these prey on the jassids [leafhoppers]. This honey-like aroma is what sets Honey Black apart. The unpredictability of the jassids makes it difficult to use this approach, thus supply remains relatively limited.
Black Tea - Lapsang Souchong
Powdery-smoky with a savoury-peppery bold first impression that holds consistently in a long finish, with a back-note of dried longan. Beautiful floral perfume that hold its ground despite the smokiness. The latter is akin to peaty whisky such as Laphroaig.
From the Wuyi Mountains [Fujian] it’s thought to be created during17th century China. Storied origin of tea farmers fleeing from Qing soldiers that rushed the drying by smoke-drying over a pinewood fire to save the harvest, some say this led to the birth of black teas.