This type of tea is fully oxidised, often displaying fruity, woody and spice notes.
Hong Yu-Red Jade-
Black Tea
A black tea unlike any other and uniquely Taiwanese. This tea is produced from local cultivar Tai Cha #18, which was developed by the Yuchi Tea Research and Extension Station in 1999 through crossing a Burmese assamica variety with a local Taiwanese wild mountain variety, the latter also being known as camellia sinensisvar. formosensis. The assamica variety has a long history in Taiwan, being first introduced in the 1920’s during Japanese rule as they sought to set up their own black tea production. Across their empire, they found the area around Sun Moon Lake to be the most suitable, with climatic conditions here similar to those in Assam. The local wild mountain variety has a far older history. It has been consumed by Taiwanese indigenous peoples for centuries and was first documented by the Dutch in 1645 and later by the Qing court in 1717. It is this variety that provides the signature menthol and cinnamon notes to the hybrid. Our tea is from a small-batch farming family who have switched away from unsustainable, shallow-rooted betel palm cultivation and joined the Taiwanese black tea revival. Also known as Ruby black tea.
$USD 72/ 100g
Royal Mi-Xiang
Another great example of Taiwan’s insect-bitten teas. Ours is grown in the low-elevation flatlands of the East Rift Valley, an area in eastern Taiwan that is hot and humid – ideal for attracting the green leafhopper. Tea gardens here are kept entirely pesticide-free in order to further welcome these tiny insects. Early to mid-summer is when they begin to arrive, feeding by sucking phloem juices out of plants. In the tea plant, this triggers a self-defence mechanism which initiates the production of phytoalexins, specifically terpenes, and among which hotrienol. Terpenes have a two-fold function, they act as an insect-repellent and attract natural predators to these insects. Hotrienol is also found in honey, grapes, roses and second-flush Darjeeling, for example, and is understood to be responsible for the highly desirable muscatel aroma. The picking and processing of Mi Xiang black tea is similar to that of Eastern Beauty oolong, except that it undergoes light crushing and no kill-green phase, thereby promoting and allowing full oxidation, respectively, and thus qualifying it as a black tea. Unlike most black teas, however, we recommend brewing this one at lower temperature and using longer steeping times as this helps accentuate the musky, sweet-sour, grape-like muscatel notes. The meaning of the name Honey Fragrance really becomes apparent in the aftertaste of this tea, which is delightfully sweet and exceptionally long-lasting.
$USD 130/ 100g
Hong Yun - Red Rhyme - Black Tea
A rare and hard-to-find tea from the Sun Moon Lake area, Taiwan’s centre of black tea production. The cultivar used in the making of this tea was developed by the TRES in 2008 and is officially numbered as Tai Cha #21. The fact that it is such a recent addition is also one of the main reasons why it’s so difficult to source, as not many farmers have adopted it thus far and supply is limited. Hong Yun is a cross between a Keemun, also spelled as Qimen, from the Huangshan Mountains, Anhui, China and an assamica variety from Kyang, Assam, India. There are some competing, unverified claims that the assamica part of the hybrid is actually from either a village in Nepal or Myanmar that go by the same name. This tea is renowned for having strong notes of citrus fruits and is therefore sometimes likened to an Earl Grey. However, our Hong Yun is of course entirely natural, without any additives. Also, this tea boasts an exceptionally long finish, which gives true to the Yun part in its name and can be directly translated as Rhyme, but more broadly in the tea-sense is meant as Aftertaste. Sourced from the same small-batch farming family as our Hong Yu Red Jade #18. Red Rhyme is a luxurious Taiwanese creation that can proudly stand up to any other black tea. Also known as Red Charm, Red Rhythm or Rhythm 21.
