Crimson River, Chinese red tea

A wonderful small-leafed "gongfu red tea" from Tan Yang village in Fujian. Gongfu, with rough translation of "doing something with great skill", red tea is made from more bushy tea varietals (as opposed to more tree-like from more tropical regions), the picking grade is fine meaning only buds and smallest leaves are meticulously picked and there's a higher emphasis on careful processing. It is very much quality over quantity sort of tea that is highly aromatic and refined. This style of tea has been made in Tan Yang for the past 200 years and most of it was meant for export to the Western world - mostly Netherlands, Great Britain and the United States - as the premium choice for tea aficionados. The tea is harvested in Spring from Jin Mu Dan varietal bushes (leaves of which are often processed into oolong), it is light-bodied, sweet with a pleasant balancing bitterness, berry-like with hints of cacao in aftertaste.

Brewing suggestions: 3 grams of tea per 200ml of 95-100C water, 1st steeping 1min, 2nd steeping 1-2min, 3rd steeping 2-3min etc.