One of my favourite tea shops has recently launched their webshop and I couldn’t be happier. Once they had new stock of a 2013 Sunsing Shu brick, I immediately placed an order. When I received the package, I discovered there were some extra samples in the box as well. One of those samples was their Wuyi Yancha Tieluohan.
If you want to read about other teas from ANMO, click one of the following:
- 2014 Jianyang Lao Bai White Tea
- 2015 Jianyang Lao Bai White Tea
- 2016 Jianyang Lao Bai White Tea
- 2017 Jianyang Lao Bai White Tea
- 2013 Sunsing Aged Tree Shou Pu-Erh
- 2010 Yiwu Ancient Trail
Have you considered subscribing to Tea Adventures? You can enter your email address in the sidebar and get updates whenever I publish a new article. You never have to miss an article again by joining our mailing list.
Wuyi Yancha Tieluohan
The Wuyi Yancha Tieluohan is a 2019 Tie Luo Han rock oolong from Wuyishan in Fujian province. This implies it’s an oolong tea that is grown on rocky soil; giving the tea its characteristic deep and warming flavour. There is a wide variety of rock oolong teas on the market, but there is also a huge difference in quality. This particular yancha is a Zhengyan cha, which means that it’s a ‘real rock tea’ and comes from within the Wuyishan national park. You also have rock oolong teas that are from outside the park, but those are generally seen as low(er) quality.
The twisted leaves are black with a reddish/brownish hue and they are medium-sized. The aroma consists of roasted notes and something really sweet and creamy; it’s almost strawberry ice cream.
The wet leaves have a dark brown colour and have opened. They are actually pretty big! The roasted notes have become deeper and darker and I’m also getting a candy sweetness with some light hints of coffee.
Tea Tasting
- Water 90-95°C
- 4.1g for a 100ml Shibo
- 1 rinse
- 6 infusions
Infusion 1 (15s): sharp notes of coffee at the start, but these quickly change into a fresh sweetness. The infusion itself is not really creamy, but the aftertaste is creamy and sweet. It’s like smelling warm and freshly made caramel.
Infusion 2 (10s): the aroma coming from this one is fantastic! No more sharp notes at the start and it flows really well. The sides of my tongue are salivating a lot when I take a sip. Soft and pleasant sweetness during the infusion, so no big changes from the previous one. Still getting creamy notes in the aftertaste.
Infusion 3 (15s): the liquor is still flowing well; it coats my mouth immediately after taking a sip. Flavours are a bit softer now. It’s a tiny bit sweet and I’m also picking up some coffee notes. Not the sharp notes, but the welcoming and rounded ones. This is a really welcoming tea with only a few sharp/harsh notes (so far).
Infusion 4 (20s): flavours are fading a bit so I’ll do a longer infusion after this one. The coffee notes are gone and the sweetness has shifted towards something fruity. It’s very light, but it has a refreshing feeling. It almost feels like I’m eating a refreshing strawberry ice cream on a hot day in August.
Infusion 5 (long): the flavours are back and I’m getting some floral notes instead of the fruitiness from previous infusions. It’s really refreshing. The aftertaste is still sweet as well.
Infusion 6 (long): fruity notes pop up at the start and slowly fade. No big changes.
Don’t know where to buy tea online? I made a page on the website with over 200 online shops and I keep updating it regularly. You can check it over here.
Conclusion
For a yancha, this tea definitely went the distance. I did some additional infusions (3 more so 9 in total) and the flavours were still enjoyable. The early infusions were so good and pure. Of all the Tie Luo Han teas I have already tasted, this is definitely the best one. The early infusions had intense creamy and sweet notes to it and it was almost like eating strawberry ice cream. It didn’t have that much sharp notes, so this one might be a good entry point into the world of rock oolongs. Definitely a winner!
If you want to buy this tea, you can do so over here.
