All tastes, and the experiences of drinking and appreciating fine tea are highly subjective, However;
You Might Smell:
Chocolate, nuts, bamboo, Chinese medicines,
You Might Taste:
Flowers, Light Toasted Brazil Nuts, black earth, Aged Bamboo w/ Medicinal & Herbal aromas
It May Remind You of:
A freshly worked flower garden, Wildflower Meadows, Antique shops,
Brewing:
1tsp/1CUP Classic infusion |98o|3-5 minutes to taste
or
1g/15ml Gong Fu Cha | 98o|rinse| Then 10 second steeps adding 5 to 10 seconds per infusion to taste
A Note from the Curator:
In the eyes of the average tea drinker, this tea may seem, for lack of a better term, very different.
Being a 2005 production, with a solid 15 years aging under it’s belt, it certainly presents dominantly as a post fermented tea. However, hints and whispers of something similar to an oolong’s fragrance dance about, intriguing the senses and making us reach for the cup, time and time again.
Liu An Dark Tea’s processing is quite underreported in English, and lots of confusing explanations exist. To the best of my understanding, Liu An’s unique character is the result of 4 key parts:
- Small Leaf Material from Camellia Sinensis Sinensis
- Spring “maocha” (Rough Tea) is rested until Autumn, then left out overnight to absorb the cool morning dew.
- Pressed into fresh, green, hand woven, bamboo baskets
- Roasted over charcoal inside of their baskets
Liu an is a style of tea often missed out on in the west. But without a doubt it’s character is unique and unmatched in the world of Dark Teas.
