As our knowledge of cultivation and craft grows, so does our ability to play with each successive step, dialing a tea’s final character specifically to our liking, and this April 30 Oolong is one of a handful of teas that Song has had a direct hand in during every stage of production, from field to finish.

In 2023, we landed upon this specific iteration of this tea by chance - the result of a midnight spent working alongside tea makers on an entirely different, dark charcoal-roasted oolong. Just out of the drum ovens following a day of withering and oxidation, these leaves were a wonderful surprise of their own. What was intended as one tea became two: and Gold is the lighter of the two.

Unlike last year’s harvest, the morning these leaves were picked dawned clear and bright, allowing us to process the leaves in the early morning sunshine. In the initial withering period, direct sunlight draws forth a specific floral aroma from tea leaves that’s absent in shade withered teas. It’s these chance variables that provide an unexpected and delight nuance to tea making from year to year - and sets this year’s tea apart from its 2023 counterpart.

After sun withering and hours of oxidation inside temperature-controlled rooms, these leaves are tossed in large bamboo drums to lightly bruise and further oxidize the tea. During this stage, the leaves begin to undergo an aromatic transformation from lightly verdant, to floral, to tropical, and on to sugary stone fruit sweetness. We halted oxidation just as it reached peak tropical profile, killing the green, (stopping the oxidation by heating in rotating drum roasters) to hold these scents and flavors in place. We finished the tea with the most imperceptible of charcoal bakes - just enough to set the leaves, and concentrate the plant’s innate sugars. The end result is a rich and fruit-forward, a wonderful counterpart to its amber roasted twin.