This is a special treat I bought on my sourcing trip to Taiwan in 2024. The tea had just been harvested and needed to rest to bring out the juicy, stone fruit notes it's known for. I have been tasting it periodically and am thrilled that it is finally ready to share with you, just in time for our 10th anniversary celebration!
Ruby 21 is a cultivar developed in Taiwan for making oolongs. This particular lot was grown near Sun Moon Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Taiwan. It has been bug bitten, so the plants released terpenes which accentuate the honeyed notes within the leaf. After harvesting, the tea was processed into a hong cha (black tea), which is one of my personal favorite flavor profiles for oolong cultivars.
The steamed aroma gives off juicy and alluring scents of stewed stone fruit and raisins, cascading into a sweet plum jam note with a menthol undertone after steeping. Smooth and syrupy, the flavor slings to the sides of the tongue with the stone fruit notes accentuating robust woody depth and oak-like tannins. The leaves can steep in a gaiwan well over 10 times and leaves you feeling uplifted and comforted at the same time.
Harvest: 2024
Origin: Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan
Origin: Nantou, Taiwan
Harvest: 2024
• Ruby 21 cultivar
• From Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan's largest fresh water lake
• Bug bitten
• Oolong cultivar made into a black tea
• Honeyed, stone fruit flavor with a slight menthol note
• 6g tea per 8oz. water
• Steep 15-20 seconds in 190°-200°F water
• Re-steep for 10-15 seconds for 3-4 re-steeps, then lengthen steeps to extract all the flavor
This tea does best when steeped in a gaiwan.
Use these recommendations for steeping in a western teapot, or when only 1 steep is desired.
• 3g tea per 6oz. water
• Steep 3-4 minutes in 190°-200°F water
• Re-steep one more time for 2-3 minutes (if desired)
