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“Freebie with my latest order — thank you! I don’t remember much about this either. I followed Song Tea’s brewing parameters for this tea and it flattened all the high notes. It was smooth, sweet...” Read full tasting note
Notes of grenadine, peony, and golden raspberry
炭焙金萱紅
Type: Red
Region: Taiwan
Elevation: 1200m
Cultivar: Jin Xuan
Harvest: June 2023
Organic Status: Unsprayed
Roast: Charcoal
Crafting The Roaster’s Red began long before these leaves were ever harvested.
We knew early on that we wanted a red tea with a rich aromatic base on which we could layer on a longan charcoal-roasted finish. We were inspired by Red Lily, a spring red tea in our 2020 core collection. Red Lily balanced heady aromatics with sweetness. Crafted from Jin Xuan, a hybrid developed by the Taiwanese Tea Research and Extension Station as a hardy, high-yielding plant, Red Lily was both aromatic and sweet. But what if we could also give it depth and richness with charcoal roasting?
For the Roaster’s Red, we collaborated with the charcoal roaster to develop a base tea that was optimized for roasting. We delayed harvest by nearly two months to early June, taking advantage of leaf hoppers that bite the leaves, adding sweetness and depth to the base tea. Extended withering and oxidation time also gave the tea a foundation of fall fruit notes: from pomegranates to quince. We imagined the tea’s fruit notes intensifying with charcoal’s deep sweetness. And we weren’t disappointed.
Layers of light roasting compound and coax the subtle fruit and floral notes to the top of the nose, and simultaneously round and intensify their flavor. Former notes of pomegranate give way to rich grenadine, softened with hints of golden raspberry and blooming peony.
Brewing
Tea: 5 g
Water: 150 ml
Temp: 205º F
Time: 2 min
Company description not available.
Freebie with my latest order — thank you!
I don’t remember much about this either. I followed Song Tea’s brewing parameters for this tea and it flattened all the high notes. It was smooth, sweet and a little dry-roasty. Overbrewed yet pleasant. I would need more and prepared with my own parameters to see how I feel.
Flavors: Dry, Fruity, Malt, Red Fruits, Roasty, Smooth, Sweet, Thin, Wood
I’d be interested to hear what you got from Song. Did you buy more of that Ruby Eighteen? I was also very intrigued by their White Dragonwell, which is a blend of Longjing and Anji Bai Cha.
FWIW, Song’s Eighteen is my absolute favorite unflavored black – there is nothing you can’t do with that tea: hot, iced, milk, straight, gongfu, western, it always comes through. I just went out to San Fran last month and visited the storefront. They didn’t have Eighteen, but I picked up “A Different Eighteen” and “Ruby” which they had brewed up in the shop and was delicious. Neither of these are Eighteen, and the names can be confusing, but I would vouch for getting your hands on some Eighteen once it comes out.
Oops, I was actually talking about A Different Eighteen. I didn’t know they had multiple versions of Ruby Eighteen.
Yep! They have Eighteen, Ruby, and A Different Eighteen. The Eighteen hasn’t been available in awhile, but I always try to keep an eye out for it. A little expensive as teas go, but so good it’s well worth the money. I haven’t opened A Different Eighteen yet, but once I do, I’ll review it on Steepster to give my thoughts on it.
Wow, a Ruby trifecta! :) I’d love to get my hands on some of these teas!
Leafhopper, I didn’t get anything new but did get a third round of a few favorites: A Different Eighteen and Dragon Phoenix Tender Heart.
White Dragonwell was interestingly savory in a chicken soup way. It is something I’d like to try fresh at some point… much further down the sipdown route!
It’s interesting that you compared the White Dragonwell to chicken soup. I was hoping for the floral/citrus notes of an Anji Bai Cha combined with the nuttiness of a Longjing.
I couldn’t close my tea cupboard door the other day, so I understand about sipdown goals. In hindsight, buying over 300 g of green tea for my big comparison project has created some inventory issues. :P