Da Ye Hong Cha. Large Leaf Black Tea 2020

Da Ye Hong Cha is an inexpensive, popular, easy and very pleasant tea to drink, which does not imitate the great Chinese black teas, but has its own character.

This tea comes from centuries-old trees at an altitude of 1,000 meters in the famous village of Wawee, arguably Thailand's most renowned terroir. The secret to its price and uniqueness lies in the use of large leaves which, according to Thai tradition, are harvested at the end of the season to preserve the tree's health and prepare it for the next.

These leaves were generally processed in a rustic way and consumed locally or sold at very low prices. However, through selective harvesting, specific oxidation, and aging for one to two years, an exceptional tea is obtained. While not very complex or dense on the palate, it is a tea rich in aromas and very pleasant, with a marked sweetness, spicy, woody, and caramel notes, and even, with aging, hints of whiskey.

Tasting:

Notes: This tea reveals its full potential after just one minute of steeping. Notes of wood, a slight smokiness, and coffee emerge. We suggest increasing the steeping time by one minute to continue with the infusion.

Suggestions: Steep the leaves in a teapot, gaiwan, or similar; ideally, they should float freely in the water. The amount of leaves will depend on the volume of the infusion. Approximately 3.5 g per 100 ml.

It is recommended to use soft water with low chlorine content to facilitate the infusion of the leaves.

Classic steeping: Begin with an initial steep at 100°C for one minute. Repeat this process, increasing the steeping time by one minute each time.

Gongfu steeping: With 5g of leaves in a small container (ideally a 100-150ml gaiwan or similar), boiling water and quick steeps that gradually increase their duration with each subsequent steep.

Conservation:

Keep this tea away from strong odours, heat, and humidity. It can be stored in a breathable container; its flavour will evolve over time.