Light Roast Wild Tree Purple Varietal Black Tea of Dehong

This is a lightly processed black tea that was hand-crafted using a wild tree purple leaf varietal from Dehong prefecture. Ye Sheng "野生“ varietal aka "Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze var. assamica (J. Masters) Kitam." is a primeval varietal that pre-dates Camellia Sinensis var. Assamica and is a naturally occurring non hybridized varietal. It's potency in cha qi arises from its unadulterated nature. It is naturally bug repellent and grows wild in the forests of Yunnan at an altitude of 1600-2200 meters.

The aroma of tea is very strong and hints of eucalyptus and sugarcane.  The bottom of the cup after drinking hints of dry red wine!  The mouth feel is incredibly complex and stimulating with some slight bitterness and astringency.  Ultra smooth tea that after a few months will develop even more complexity.  Very noticeable cha qi that heats up the body and hot day might cause the drinker to sweat a bit!

How is this tea different from the other Wild Tree Purple Varietal from Dehong that we sell:

- Processing and roasting uses less time and less heat

- The "ye sheng" varietal of tea used is more obvious

- Hints of Wu Yi Shan oolong in the aroma and mouth-feel

- More bitterness

- More aggressive cha qi

An incredibly rare tea made entirely from first flush spring material

Stephen Colbert drinks this tea on his #tea4tuesday webisode!  Funny!