Happy Double Ten Day from Taiwan!
This batch of tea was originally our February 2019 edition of the Eco-Cha Tea Club. And now, the minimal remainder of that batch of Qing Xin Oolong Black Tea has undergone a delicate roasting, offering "another side" of its character.
Our friend decided to take the opportunity of using the remaining 5kg or so of Black Tea to experiment in roasting a batch of tightly rolled leaves that were processed as Black Tea, but also included Oolong Tea making methods. In a word, it's a unique combination of Oolong and Black Tea processing that we not only found interesting, but also delicious! To our knowledge, there are very few versions of roasted Black Tea offered in Taiwan.
The roasted version is what you might expect — a more "cured" version of Black Tea that offers a more refined, subtle flavor profile, almost like an aged tea, but maintaining a complex vitality that is unique in our experience. What originally was a very thick, fruit compote character is now more of a dried fruit flavor, with a lot of endurance and an amazing condensed sweet/dry and heady profile. It starts out as a full bodied brew with notes of mild citrus, like pomelo, yet dense enough to be reminiscent of a pluot. It then proceeds to get sweeter as you brew, with the later brews being uncannily reminiscent of dried apricots.
Our friend Mr. Chen is a true local artisan of traditionally made Oolong Tea, as well as being a professional tea judge for more than 20 years at the Lugu Farmers' Association Tea Competition. This is the largest and most prestigious Oolong Tea competition in the world. He is a professional farmer, artisan Oolong craftsman, and an international representative of Taiwanese Tea.
In sum, we're pretty excited to offer this minimal amount of tea that we discovered only a few weeks ago. There is such a small amount that it is only appropriate to share as a holiday special.
Happy 10/10 Day Tea Lovers!!
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