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“Gongfu! It’s been a while since I had a white tea session, so this morning I brewed up one of these charcoal roasted white tea minis! Admittedly, so far I haven’t been a fan of any of W2T’s...” Read full tasting note
“Heavy charcoal. A tease of dark chocolate that up and scurries away on the swallow. Malt, some tannins, very little sweetness; perhaps the most tobacco-heavy white I’ve ever tasted. I’d like to...” Read full tasting note
Old arbor sun dried white tea from Yunnan, sent to Fujian province to be hand charcoal roasted in the Wuyi mountains by veteran yancha oolong makers.
Of all the newly released Wuyi roasted and smoked Yunnan teas, this is the one that caught the tea maker’s attention more than any other. (and not only because roasting a loose Yunnan white tea like this is incredibly difficult and time consuming, due to it’s nature of being brittle and not compact in loose form) They absolutely fell in love with the results of this tea.
The fragrances and aromas burst forth from the outset with fig jam sweetness and flame floral perfume. Unique and hypnotic, not to be missed.
Each purchase is for one ~ 7 gram ball.
Gongfu!
It’s been a while since I had a white tea session, so this morning I brewed up one of these charcoal roasted white tea minis! Admittedly, so far I haven’t been a fan of any of W2T’s charcoal roasted sheng so I did go into this session rather cautiously. That heavier, almost smoky notes of tobacco and char were a bit coarse and heavy-handed at first, but they did slightly soften out as the session progressed. That, or I just acclimated to them surprisingly quickly. The finish was really captivating to me. Ever so slightly creamy in texture with a gradually building fruity sweetness. A bit like plums, with an ever so slight floral undertone.
I thought this was a step up from W2T’s charcoal roasted sheng productions but, as such an outspoken lover of smoky and roasted teas, it makes me just a bit sad that I don’t enjoy this more. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good session overall – something I think is worth trying for the very unique experience. However, I wouldn’t reach for this over most other sun dried white teas or roasted oolongs in my assortment. The biggest question mark in my mind is how this will age. If the roast softens over time, I could see my opinion shifting pretty dramatically!!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyRPqRwOthZ/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyR0HdUh5z0
Heavy charcoal. A tease of dark chocolate that up and scurries away on the swallow. Malt, some tannins, very little sweetness; perhaps the most tobacco-heavy white I’ve ever tasted. I’d like to think this will mellow and sweeten and coalesce with age, but I’m not confident enough in my fortune-telling to roll the dice on it myself.
Medium-sized, dark brown leaves really poofed and filled my 100ml gaiwan. Liquor deepened to a medium brown. I’m a sucker for charcoal, so I enjoyed this well enough, despite it being rather brash and maybe too straightforward.
Flavors: Charcoal, Dark Chocolate, Malt, Tannin, Tobacco
