I have been a member of the Essence of Tea club for around a year now and discovered some pretty amazing teas because of this. I received the November package last week and was intrigued by its content. It was a hong cha from within the Wuyi Scenic Reserve: the Wu Di Hong Cha.
Wu Di Hong Cha
This tea is remarkable because it comes from within the Wuyi Scenic Reserve in Wuyishan. Almost all tea from this particular area is yancha, but there are some exceptions.
Don’t know where to buy tea online? I made a page on the website with over 300 online shops and I keep updating it regularly. You can check it over here.
The Wu Di Hong Cha is made of a wild growing Qi Zhong varietal and the production process closely resembles the production of yancha, except that that this one was oxidised more. It was also finished with a charcoal roast.
Tea Tasting
- Water 90°C-99°C
- 5g for a 150ml zisha teapot
I mainly see twisted large and medium-sized leaves. The aroma is extraordinary! There is an intense sweetness on the nose with hints of lychee and other exotic fruits. There is also a buttery edge.
Infusion 1 (15 sec): there is a fruit bomb in my mouth once the first drops touch my tongue. It also has a spicy/tingling sensation in my throat. There are no subtle flavours; straight to the point! It’s sweet lychee and some other exotic fruits. Amazing sweet and long-lasting aftertaste.
Infusion 2 (20 sec): there is another fruit bomb, but not as intense. However, the sweet lychee is still going strong. I’m also getting some traces of the tingling sensation in my throat. Drinking this infusion while listening to Elton John’s Rocket Man: pure bliss. It doesn’t happen often that I feel the way I felt during this infusion. The smell of the empty cup was quite special as well as it was really floral.
Infusion 3 (30 sec): still sooooo fruity! It’s really intense and long-lasting. The texture is rather thin, but sweet lychee lingers on the tongue throughout this infusion. The aroma is floral.
Infusion 4 (40 sec): more of the same sweet and fruity flavours, although a bit more subtle. The butteriness that I got in the aroma before infusing is popping up in the finish. It’s amazing that this tea leaves such a long-lasting feeling and floral freshness on the palate.
Infusion 5 (long): still sweet lychee and exotic fruits and it’s also becoming more floral towards the end. The finish and aftertaste are definitely floral and even a bit buttery.
Infusion 6 (long): there is a buttery and slightly floral sweetness. It’s amazing that the aftertaste is still going strong. I’m also picking up a slight minerality in the finish.
Conclusion
This session was pure magic. Listening to some music, sipping fantastic tea and feeling good. What more do you need? Thinking about this moment and trying to brew the best cup of tea.
The flavours of the Wu Di Hong Cha were remarkable. Right from the start, it showed its full potential without overdoing it. These flavours were long-lasting and enjoyable.
This session is definitely one of the best ones this year. Everything felt right and as it should be. Everything was in the right place at the right time.
As far as I know, you cannot buy the Wu Di Hong Cha, but you can become a member of the tea club so you get other teas like this one in the future. You can subscribe over here.
