Spring Harvest 2020 Reveal
hello my friends,
good news! our first tea harvest of 2020 was 🤩🤩🤩. keep reading, I'm going to pack this letter with as much good news as possible.
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weather report 🌤️
direct from the tea masters mouth, this year's harvest had perfect conditions.
cooler weather in the weeks leading up to harvest caused the plants to develop thicker leaves, resulting in more flavor in the brew. the rains also held off, giving us the ideal temperatures and humidity for tea harvest and subsequent processing.
spring is widely regarded as the most highly anticipated tea harvest of the year, so without further adieu, let me introduce the line-up ;)
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new teas 🍾
I promised you 3 teas, and I'm delivering you 4. underpromise and overdeliver, that's what they say 😘
green oolong // spunky, tastes like candy, snap peas, spruce tips \\
milk oolong // subtle, tastes like sweet cream, bartlett pears, wildflowers \\
black oolong // robust, tastes like cacao, red plum, tupelo honey \\
double red oolong // intense, tastes like cognac, burnt caramel, tropical fruits \\
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...but which tea is the best? 🤨
c'mon, that's an impossible question to answer. the teas are all so different! guarantee you're going to dig them, so stock up.
if you're into the double red oolong, i'll give you my usual advise and say that you may want to let it rest for a few months before drinking, it ages fabulously. it always has a bit of a bark right after roasting, and will settle into its flavors nicely. that being said, if you need a thrill right now, throw down your gaiwan and get after it-- this one can handle 8+ steepings.
the black oolong is down right insane this season. i really enjoyed the winter harvest, but with a fuller body to the liquor I struggled to drink it in large quantities. the spring is just slightly more floral and will melt your face it's so good.
and if you're like me and you love your green oolongs, plz give a round of applause to Uncle, the tea master responsible for nailing it yet again. this oolong literally smells like candy 🍭
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what's a "milk" oolong? 🥛
commonly referred to as 'milk' oolong in foreign markets for it's creamy, buttery texture and flavor reminiscent of milk, this oolong is a cultivar developed by the Taiwanese tea research entity (TRES) and called jin1xuan1. if that sounds familiar, it is! this is the same cultivar/farm/tea plants that we use to produce our famed black oolong.
both our milk oolong and black oolong are harvested at the same time and roasted at the same temperatures + duration, yet their appearance and flavors are wildly different. how? it's all in the oxidation process. we let the milk oolong oxidize for ~25% and the black oolong hit ~90%. the oxidation process breaks down the cell walls in the tea leaf causing flavor change and making the leaf more pliable and susceptible to heat. outcome? the milk oolong tastes more floral and vegetal, whereas the black oolong is malty and chocolatey. delicious!
finally, it's important to note that there's a bit of a counterfeit market for milk oolongs. because the milky characteristics are so highly desired, many tea producers and distributors will add fake flavors to the teas. so here's a tip, if you ever find yourself smelling a milk oolong and it's fragrance is a little too good to be true, do some digging into the supply chain - you may not be drinking just tea leaves. and while you all know it, it's worth sharing again here, all my teas are organic and tested within Taiwan. this stuff is pure 💎
i have a small amount in stock right now, but don't worry, a larger shipment is en route. i'll ping everyone when it arrives ✈️
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virtual tea anyone? 📞
it's been an absolute blast getting to meet many of you over the past few months. if you ever want to hang and talk tea, just drop me an email and we'll get it on the books!
Until the next update 🖖
_Sam
p.s. here's a pic of the black oolong fresh out the roaster
