February 17 & 18: Year of the Dragon

Please join us at Cultivate to celebrate the Lunar New Year with a two-course wagashi pairing.

We will start the tasting with a Black Oolong Cold Brew paired with a stunning and refreshing Kinkan (kumquat) Yokan 金柑羊羹. This is followed by a very rare, handcrafted Golden Cassia Oolong paired with Risshun 立春 Kinton, made from condensed milk and coarse red bean paste.

The rare oolong we have chosen is from Fujian. This unusual tea is nicknamed “Dragon Egg” on behalf of the large, orb-like shape of the teacake it is pressed into. We have been waiting to open this curious egg since receiving it in 2021, and now that we are entering a year of the Dragon, we feel the time has come! 

This incredibly crafted tea could be aged for hundreds of years, but even in its youth its complexity is striking. Beneath its delicate mouthfeel its depth of character spirals directly into the core of our being.

The fine, palate rinsing astringency of the tea refreshes our ability to taste Saki’s beautiful handmade wagashi. The sweet florality of condensed milk on the exterior of the Kinton brings out the milky perfume of the tea. The dense red bean compliments the depth of this oolong, and the dark sphere that the paste has been rolled into is reminiscent of the orb-shaped tea cake. This tea and wagashi play off of each other in many ways.