Charcoal Roasted Wuyi Yancha
Tasting notes: A medium roasted rock oolong with strong orchid notes and a warm toffee woodiness. Reminiscent of bush honey and butter slathered on homemade rye toast.
Produced in the rocky terroir of Wuyi, North-Eastern Fujian, this Qilan is slightly more roasted than our other Qilan (Mist Orchid) in order to preserve the cultivar’s natural almond-tinged perfume, warm spices, sweet minerality, and thick, smooth mouthfeel.
Price range: $16.40 through $124.00
Yancha or “rock tea” is a premium, heavily oxidised and roasted oolong originating from the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian, China. It is known for its mineral-rich “yan yun” (rock rhyme) taste or more poetically “essence of the rocks”, which comes from the terroir and is a marker for quality. The concept of yan yun is a little abstract as it is something felt rather than an actual taste. It could be described as the lingering feeling of coolness in the back of your throat after sipping, almost like you get from sipping strong, high-quality mineral water.
The leaves are processed as strips as opposed to balls in contrast to Taiwanese and Anxi oolongs, and it is often roasted over charcoal.