08
Red tea红茶
Fully oxidised·9 teas·morning · day
Two poles in one section: Yunnan Dian Hong at twenty yuan per hundred grams, and Tongmu lapsang sold as a single serving. Guadun and Tongmu are neighbouring villages in Wuyi, where red tea was invented in the first place.
Dense caramel sweetness, almost no tannin. Soft and enveloping.
Resin, dark honey, a wild bitterness. Full-bodied, noticeably warming.
Honeyed bud with a floral top note. Finer than the classic.
Honey, sweet potato, velvet with no astringency. The most legible red tea here.
Dried fruit and woody depth, pressed leaf. Ages well.
Even, malty, faintly nutty. Takes milk and a large pot.
Tongmu without the smoke: plum, resin, minerality. The original of all red teas.
Pine smoke, bonfire, dried fruit underneath. Divides people at the first sip.