A delightful surprise🫖

Despite all the recent chaos here in Canada, due to the Orange Menace in the USA. I found time to try a new tea I recently received as a gift from Pastleaf. It was a sample of ‘charcoal roasted Zhangping Shui Xian’. This tea is produced in Fujian province and is described by Pastleaf as follows:

“Made by Wang Longbiao, the grandson of the producer who invented the wooden moulds for pressing Zhangping Shui Xian. Each tea cake is printed with Mr Wang’s seal... He is the third generation heir of Deng Guangjin (1899-1992), a famous early producer who pioneered the compressed square shape of Zhangping Shui Xian. After being wrapped in paper, the cakes are roasted over charcoal at a low temperature for several days. This roast is heavier than many other light roast Zhangping Shui Xian. The resulting tea is well balanced, with deep sweetness and a lingering aftertaste.”

— Pastleaf [1]

Lovely note - and the tea cake with seal

dry leaf

Shui Xian liquor

Wet leaf - after first infusion

It has a hint of smokiness (much lighter than a Lapsang Souchong) but the sweetness coats your mouth in a lovely way. The fragrance also has traces of the smell of honey. This might be my new favourite tea!

Thank you to Pastleaf for this delightful present!

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[1] You can read more about this tea and see a video of the producer from the Pastleaf Tea website: https://pastleaf.com/products/charcoal-roasted-zhangping-shui-xian