Zhangpin Wild Red, red tea

This fascinating wild red tea comes from the small town of Zhangpin near Anxi, Fujian from seed-grown tea trees of varying undefined species that are growing wildly near the village without much human interference. In China, these sort of teas are often referred to with the term "yesheng" and they tend to be soft, delicate and nuanced in flavour, opening up from steeping to steeping, and have a pleasant, animated, balanced natural deep energy to them that we really enjoy. The medium sized leaf is of brown-black colour with a slight rust-red hue. The resulting cup is sweet and spicy with a hint of cardamom, with no astringency whatsoever and a velvety mouthfeel.

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