2021 Dark Roast Anxi Ruan Zhi
2021 Dark Roast Anxi Ruan Zhi
Taiwan’s Iconic Varietal
with a unique deep roast
Master Zhang brings out intense minerality and deep spice with his careful roasted finish on a varietal most famous as Dong Ding Wulong. Notes of candied orange, cinnamon, rye, and lilikoi.
Spring 2021 ♦ Dark Roast Finish
Crafted By Master Zhang
Environmentalist and award-winning craftsman, Master Zhang is committed to pioneering low-impact tea farming that replenishes natural forests on his high elevation Anxi mountain plot.
Master Zhang devotes his energy to introducing rare varietals of tea to increase biodiversity and researching ancient finishing techniques to make rich, aromatic oolong unlike anything else in the world.
- DATE OF PICKINGSpring 2021
- Daping VillageAnxi, Fujian
- ELEVATION1000 meters
- Ruan ZhiTea Varietal
Master Zhang brings a new perspective to this beloved varietal with his meticulous and delicate multi-day dark roast process. Ruan Zhi or “Soft Stem” is sometimes better known as "Qing Xin" varietal, used in Taiwan to produce Dong Ding and Baozhong and in Thailand for Doi Mai Salong. While Taiwanese Ruan Zhi tends towards creamy or nutty, Master Zhang’s Daping Village Ruan Zhi is taut and almost crystalline with deep cooling yun sensation, smoldering spice in the aftertaste and beautiful Anxi florals. The dark roast keeps every element in perfect balance.
Tasting Profile
- fruit - candied orange peel, elderberry
- spice - clove, cinnamon
- savory - sweet rye bread
- floral - lilikoi blossoms
- texture - mineral-laden, warming lingering spice
Zhang Rongde also recommends:
Steeping Instructions
Western
5 g.6-8
oz.use 208° watersteep 30 secondsresteep many times
add 10 sec. each infusionGongfu
5 g.6 ozuse 208° watersteep 10 seconds
add 2 sec. per steepingenjoy many steepingsIced/Cold
5 g.12
oz.use room temp. waterrefrigerate overnight
8 hoursadd ice & enjoy