Our Tongmuguan One Gongfu Black Tea has a warm, round aroma on an overtone of sun-dried longan with accents of maltose, woodsy spice, caramel and fresh cookies. A persistent floral undertone and silky texture with light hints of cream compliment the malty, full-bodied, smooth infusion. There is a quenching and cleansing sensation to this tea with very light accents of honey, anise, nutmeg and citrus peel rounding-off the long, malty, mouth-watering aftertaste.
Few black teas can achieve a smooth AND full body. To have a floral, yet warm aroma with spicy sweetness and the complexity of dried fruit would be a luxury! Tongmuguan One makes it even better by delivering the whole package with a sophisticated balance, yet subtle uniqueness lacking in its peers. Made with a much-modified xiao-zhong gongfu black tea process, this rare batch yields a floral, slightly sweet and complex profile that has some of the best characters from both the oolong and the black tea categories. A must try for any true tea connoisseurs.
A very limited batch produced in the mecca of xiao zhong gongfu black tea that is Tong Mu Village in Wuyi Shan, Fujian, China, the finely processed leaves of the Meizhan cultivar are precious not because they are rare, but because it is so demanding to produce to this quality. It is not every year that we can achieve a gem like this. Meizhan originates from the Minnan region ( south of Fujian ) and has been a popular production cultivar in Wuyi. The leaves attain a very different taste profile here in the unique micro climate and soil conditions to yield oolongs and black teas quite impossible in the south or other lesser environment. An example is Meizhan Classic, a tea similar to the material traders have been using to blend with other teas to fake as Da Hong Pao. Because of the plant’s popularity for productivity reasons, quality in the final products does vary exceedingly. In Tongmuguan One, we have only employed premium harvests from matured trees in the proper origin.
Ingredients: Artisan black tea
Origin: Tong Mu Guan, Wuyi Shan, Fujian, China
Tong-mu-guan — Gate of Princess Woods — has always been claimed as the origin of all black teas. Although much of the hype is re-appropriation for marketing, what we know for sure is that this small area in Xing Cun, where the first black tea was recorded to have traded in history, has been a crucible for the renaissance of extremely high quality processing and horticulture. Our much demanded Lapsang Souchong Tongmu is also from this area.
In the depth of Wuyi, Tongmuguan’s farmers and producers have always wanted to create a black tea that can achieve the complexity of the fine oolongs for which this mountainous region is so well-known. The quintessential production cultivar Meizhan* has been called into action. For over a decade our farmer has been fine-tuning processing techniques to best interpret the quality leaves from his first flush harvest. We think the best is what we have to present here — Tongmuguan One.
* Meizhan originates from the Minnan region ( south of Fujian ) and has been a popular production cultivar in Wuyi. The leaves attain a very different taste profile here in the unique micro climate and soil conditions to yield oolongs and black teas quite impossible in the south or other lesser environments. An example is Meizhan Classic, a tea similar to the material traders have been using to blend with other teas to fake as Da Hong Pao. Because of the plant’s popularity for productivity reasons, quality in the final products does vary exceedingly. In Tongmuguan One, we have only employed premium harvests from matured trees in the proper origin.
Tongmuguan One is an excellent tea with which to explore infusion techniques as well as for general entertainment. It can be prepared using the Western or gongfu style of infusion. To achieve the delicious taste profile and silky texture, use a near boiling water on a 1.5 to 100 ratio for 7 minutes. Don’t forget to preheat the infusion vessel.
Alternatively, 5 to 100 ratio in the gongfu style for 30 seconds give more of the aromatic characters but not as full in the body. Reduce the ratio, but not the time, if you are a tea beginner. To some of our team, it is the only black tea to drink.