Alishan Black *Winter Sprout*

Although we've used the name Alishan Black for years this is more accurately a Red Oolong - that means it is a kind of hybrid processing of black (or red) tea and oolong tea that results in the full, dark and sweet flavors of red tea arranged in an oolong type of profile. The fragrance is more complex and the mouthfeel more oolong-shaped. On top of that, this is in the Taiwanese tea category of 'honey fragrant' (Mi Xiang) red oolong, meaning it has a unique aroma of honey like Taiwanese bug bitten teas. Our Alishan Black is an extremely fragrant tea, with notes ranging from tropical and stone fruit (peach, longyan) to sweet honey to rich carmalized flavors. A bit malty with a juicy texture. It is a big and flavorful fun tea that is grabs the attention of new oolong drinkers immediately. That's not to say old tea heads aren't drinking it though, some of our oldest customers drink this tea daily. Kind of desert like, we like to drink it after a meal to satisfy our sweet tooth. This batch was a rare 'winter sprout' (Dong Pian) harvest, a tiny quantity of leaves that some years will sprout during the colder months - December or sometimes early January. The cold weather slows growth so that the leaves collect lots of extra nutrients and produce special high notes. This gives the tea a lighter body and unique aroma that you just have to taste for yourself - it tastes like winter sprout! Twist my arm, there is just so much honey flavor in this batch, but a kind of herbal version like a late Autumn fireweed honey we once tasted. It recently underwent it's final processing steps, and we have found the body was 'closed up' when it first arrived in Seattle. In the last three weeks it's opened up a lot, and we predict it will continue to do so. I think it's fair to say you can expect it will only improve with age!