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“Sipdown I finally have a day off. My boss wanted to know what was so special to have requested it and I just kept it at, “Chilling.” None of their business, anyway. I just want a day off. ;) First...” Read full tasting note
“Gongfu! I got a new gaiwan as a birthday present to myself!! The colours and textures in this gaiwan are frankly insane – it’s truly a piece of art! I definitely used this past birthday as an...” Read full tasting note
Rum Raisin (鳳凰紅茶, Fèng Huáng Hóng Chá, “Phoenix Red Tea”) – An exquisite red tea made from a blend of oolong breeds from the Phoenix Mountains. These distinctive oolong breeds are normally kept separate and used to make dān cōng 單樅 (“single bush”) oolong where each variety is a distinct genotype. By blending the late-spring harvested leaves of several different varietals and oxidizing them fully, Chao-An based tea farmer and tea master Lin Yaobin produces what the Chinese call hóng chá 紅茶 (“red tea”), known in the West as “black tea.”
Rum Raisin is the later-Spring harvest of the varieties that make up Black Phoenix. Traditionally considered a lower-grade, Rum Raisin has similar notes as Black Phoenix, but a maltier and more robust flavor, not unlike the darker and less expensive B-grade of maple syrup. The lychee notes of Black Phoenix are transformed in the later Spring to a sweet, rich, fig cake nose.
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Sipdown
I finally have a day off. My boss wanted to know what was so special to have requested it and I just kept it at, “Chilling.” None of their business, anyway. I just want a day off. ;)
First tea up – Rum Raisin. This was from the one and only West China Tea club I had a while ago (August, 2023?). Thankfully, I signed up for their club again, on the account it was a really solid venture. Now that I’ve February’s club headed my way, I’m topping off the previous teas from long ago.
Notes in no particular order: Citrus peel (IPA-esq), malty raisin, grains/oats, unripen peaches, grape skins, & not bitter, but not sweet.
I got 6-7 infusions out of the full session. I used the remaining 4g of leaf in my 60ML gaiwan.
PS. I usually don’t prefer red teas. I have to be in a very specific mood when I purchase and drink them; which is a short-lived period. I’ll dip back into a red tea now and again, but it’s usually an Assam or chai blend. However, YS and West China Tea oftentimes give me the hope that red teas are actually worth trying more often. This is a prime example of a tasty tea, which wants me to keep going back for more…
Flavors: Beer, Citrus, Grain, Grape Skin, Malt, Oats
Gongfu!
I got a new gaiwan as a birthday present to myself!! The colours and textures in this gaiwan are frankly insane – it’s truly a piece of art! I definitely used this past birthday as an excuse to order a lot of tea and teaware I’d been eyeing up – but I could afford it and I was feeling sad about not being able to do anything for my birthday because of the pandemic, so the retail therapy helped…
This is the tea that I broke the gaiwan in with and it was lovely. It’s so syrupy in mouthfeel and it tastes heavily of brandied fruits, plummy stonefruit, red currant and raisins with these taunting hints of chocolate, leather, and peanut brittle in the undertones!! Just an exciting and sweet explosion of flavours – a really great way to spend the afternoon. I think I got around six infusions out of it, which I thought was pretty good for a black tea. I see the name inspiration as well – definitely makes sense with those boozier fruity notes.
Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMXzWOBASB2/
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJr40dkVMs&abchannel=mariolinan
