Roasted Rock 2017

Roasted Rock comes to us from one of our well-respected tea foragers, Mr. Fan, also aptly known as "Hunter." Mr. Fan is a unique tea artisan in that he does not own any land himself, and does not work with a tea farm. Rather, he focuses on crafting tea from wild and semi-wild abandoned tea trees in the mountains; his wealth lies in his understanding of their location and seasonal rhythms.

This tea is made from tea trees that were planted by tea farmers in the 1980's, and then abandoned as people left the villages for coastal cities. The tea trees are situated within thousands of acres of old growth forest, more than 3600 feet above sea level, where there is minimal human intervention. They grew from seeds that were washed downstream from a river that runs through the middle of the forest. In these vast, old growth forests, the wild tea trees compete with a variety of other types of trees for precious, diffused sunlight. Thus, the roots of the tea trees extend deep into the earth to draw nutrients, and they grow slowly, accumulating these rich nutrients and compounds in their leaves. We feel this richness in the tea they yield.

At harvest time their young leaves are hand picked and then oxidized, before being roasted to completion over charcoal. During this process Roasted Rock is oxidized slightly more than most black teas, and we taste this in the deeper qualities it foregrounds. The wet leaves are a very dark, deep purple colour — they look strong and shiny, like arame seaweed. The nose is earthy and perfumed, like aged wood. The leaves brew an auburn liquor that, despite its strong appearance and characteristics, feels very smooth and somewhat bright on the palate. This is an atmospheric tea. Like incense, it broadens the senses, bringing both peace and awareness.