Our Dark Roast Tieguanyin is a testament to the rewards that come from restraint and patience. It's also a brilliantly delicious tea.
Harvested in Anxi County, Fujian Province in Spring 2011, the leaf is 30% oxidized, first by bruising the leaves in a bamboo drum and then allowing them to rest and gradually wither. The rest time enables the conversion of catechins into bioflavonoids while enriching the color of the liquor. We then asked the tea maker to finish the tea using a traditional loose roll and roast the tea in a way that does not leave too strong of a final impression.
Once in our hands, we give the tea its finishing roast - tuning the temperature and roast time to impart an extraordinarily robust character to the tea, but doing it in such a way to highlight its natural honeyed character. It takes quite a few patient hours to roast the tea to perfection. But the end result - rich nuttiness with hints of stone fruit, caramel and honey - is worth every minute.
BREWING GUIDE
Infuser Cup
Water Temp 200 ° F
Steep Time 2 min 30 sec
Tea Bowl
Water Temp 200 ° F
Gaiwan / Teapot (6 oz.)
Water Temp 200 ° F
Steep Time 2 min
Teapot (12 oz.)
Water Temp 200 F ° F
Steep Time 3 min
Traditional Tieguanyins are appreciated for their intense finishes, and are typically brewed towards that end, usually with a heavier hand and higher temperatures.
To brew the Dark Roast Tieguanyin, we suggest using at least 6 grams of tea leaves in a Yixing or stoneware tea pot. Brew at about 205 degrees. Give the tea an initial 1 second rinse, then let steep for about 2 minutes. Decant tea when leaf clusters are half-way to two-thirds open. Steep the second infusion for 2 minutes, gradually increasing steep time for subsequent infusions.
