Golden Yunnan First Grade Organic Red (Black) Tea

Golden Yunnan First Grade Organic Red (Black) Tea is made from totally oxidized medium-sized leaves from Yunnan. This product bears some aesthetic similarities to Snow Dragon First Grade organic green tea as both come from the same plantation near the large city of Kunming. However, the very different processing of these two products gives a full insight into the potential and characteristics of this plantation located at about 1,300 meters above sea level.

Tasting – Sight and smell

Golden Yunnan First Grade red tea has medium-sized, delicately rolled whole leaves between brown and charcoal black, with a glossy surface and a very high presence of golden buds. Once infused, they give off sweet and malty aromas, more woody notes, hints reminiscent of eggplant and pan-cooked tomatoes, and a slightly floral and fruity finish of currants. In the cup, the liquor has a dark orange color with red highlights, quite bright.

Tasting Notes

GONG FU CHA

Golden Yunnan First Grade red tea infusion has sweet notes of tomato jam and baked pumpkin, a hint of caramel and malty notes mixed with hints reminiscent of fragrant woods. It is with the second infusion that the scents become more intense, with the appearance of a slight astringency and citrus acidity. There are hints of spices, such as black pepper, and a brief hint of tobacco, while the finish remains sweet and malty. In contrast, the third infusion shows a note of bitter cocoa and spices in the opening, evolving then into scented wood and slightly floral hints. There is a slight red fruit acidity well balanced by the malty notes, which linger.

WESTERN

Golden Yunnan First Grade Red Tea opens with woody notes mixed with sweet, enveloping notes of malt and brown sugar. In the mouth, the flavors evolve into more vegetal notes, now recalling tomato compote, pumpkin jam and baked carrots. Spices (especially black pepper, a very faint hint of clove) are also noticeable, and on the finish the malt sweetness returns, with a hint of molasses. This is a medium-bodied tea, very enveloping and round on the palate. Astringency is very slight, bitterness absent. persistence is good, sweet and slightly spicy.

Place of origin

Yunnan, China

Production

After harvesting, the leaves of Golden Yunnan First Grade organic red tea wither in the sun for a certain amount of time depending on the producer before moving on to the folding stage. The leaves are then folded and rolled so that the juices inside are stirred and the oxidation process can begin. For this tea, the leaves are exposed to a progressive increase in temperature during oxidation and, once the leaf reaches its typical brown colour, the residual internal moisture is removed. After a few days’ rest, the tea is ready for consumption.

How to prepare

We highly recommend infusing Golden Yunnan First Grade Organic Red Tea in the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to best enjoy these leaves. Following this preparation, 5.5 grams of leaves (about 4 teaspoons) can be used in a gaiwan of about 100 ml to obtain several infusions with different tastes. After a quick rinse of the leaves in water at 90°C, an initial infusion of 10 seconds can be made, and after that, keeping the water at the same temperature, the time can be increased each time by 10 seconds from the previous infusion (10 – 20 – 30…)

This tea has a longevity of about 7 brewings.

For a classic preparation according to the Western style, we recommend 3 grams of leaves (about 2 teaspoons) in a 150-mL cup with water at 90°C for an infusion time of one and a half minutes.

The tea can be filtered for greater ease at the moment of tasting, and also the infusion times indicated above are intended to be purely indicative, so you can also adjust according to your personal taste.

Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.