Notes of rose, honeycomb, and cinnamon bark.

Red tea from Taiwan・January 2018・冬片紅・Unsprayed

Winter Sprout Red is crafted from the same leaves as our Lishan Winter Sprout. This tea has all the uniquely aromatic and luscious character of its oolong counterpart - but skilled oxidation created a tea with eye-opening aromatics.

The same factors that contributed to Lishan Winter Sprout’s uniqueness also contributed to this tea’s character. The leaves were hand-picked in January, after the leaves had accumulated sugars and nutrients to harden against winter’s cold. The stored compounds provide the essential building blocks of this tea’s flavor, complexity, aroma, and sweetness.

The leaves were first withered indoors for over eight hours, then bruised and allowed to gently oxidize for nearly two days. The result are large leaves with a red-brown sheen. The aroma of the dried leaves are bright and lemony. Brewing the tea releases a more complex array of aromatic notes. The resultant aroma and flavor is sublime - hitting notes that are impossible to achieve under different weather conditions, or with less experienced craftsmanship. This tea drinks like a sweet and herbaceous root beer, with notes of rose, honeycomb, and cinnamon bark.

Brew: 5 grams・150 ml・205° F・1.5 min

This tea is nearly impossible to mis-brew. We’ve tested this using both 205F and 208F using the suggested steep time. The lower temperature brew will yield sweetness, and produces a tea with incredible texture. The higher temperature brew brings out the tea’s spice and herbaceous notes. We encourage trying out both versions.