Welcome to the April 2025 edition of the Curious Tea subscription! Here’s a closer look at the four exciting new teas that we are sharing with our subscribers this month.
For the lighter side of the selection we start with an unusual Chinese green tea from Hubei Province that is more akin to Japanese gyokuro, producing a savoury green flavour. The next light tea we selected this month is our very popular lightly oxidised Fragrant Rice Oolong from Thailand that is blended with a local herb for a vanilla-like flavour and aroma.
For the dark side of the selection we are featuring a complex Ruby Oolong from Darjeeling’s Rohini Tea Estate that features an attractive Honey taste. For the final tea of this month we opted for a classic Kenyan black tea from the slopes of Mount Kenya that has a bold yet smooth flavour.
Our Discovery subscription boxes contain 10g taster pouches of all of the above mentioned teas. If you are a subscriber you will benefit from a 10% discount on all teas from our tea shop!
Let’s get into further detail on these teas featured in our April tea subscription boxes.
En Shi Yu Lu Jade Dew
En Shi Yu Lu ‘Jade Dew’ (恩施玉露) is a an early spring Ming Qian green tea produced in Enshi, Hubei Province. It is unique as this green tea undergoes steaming as part of the fixation process, a technique commonly used in Japan but very rarely in China. This results in a bold verdant profile that is closer to a Japanese green tea while still retaining most of the Chinese green tea characteristics. This current batch is from the March 2024 pre-Qing Ming harvest harvest.
In a way, this is a heritage tea, even though the modern methods of the production of En Shi Yu Lu only date from the early 1900’s. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907) tea in China tea was made through a method of steaming of sorts as a way of fixing it. The finished product would be often compressed into bricks. Around the same time (around the year 800 according to some accounts) tea, alongside other features of Chinese culture and Buddhism made its way to Japan. It was not until about 300 years later that tea gained in popularity in Japan. But the tea production method of steaming was fixed. To date, the vast majority of Japanese green tea undergoes steaming, with the notable and rare exception of kamairicha. Meanwhile the tea production method in China evolved away from steaming and to pan-frying instead. Hence the steaming method as a way of fixing green tea disappeared in China. It was not until 1900’s when there was a movement to bring back heritage production methods to tea and this rare Chinese steamed tea from Enshi (re)appeared.
En Shi Yu Lu can be translated as Jade Dew from Enshi. The characters for ‘Jade Dew’ (玉露) are exactly the same as the characters in Japanese for gyokuro. This has lead to some people to refer to En Shi Yu Lu as a ‘Chinese Gyokuro’. This is not correct as gyokuro requires a very specific set of growing conditions, namely plants being shaded for a period of time during growth. En Shi Yu Lu does not undergo any shading, so the flavours are not as concentrated. While the tea is grown in a mountainous area with plenty of clouds and fog that act as natural providers of shade, this does not provide quite the same level of shading. The picking standard and the rest of the processing, such as steaming time, rolling, shaping, etc are also quite different. Also the growing and production methods for gyokuro were developed in Japan in mid 1800’s, before the reintroduction En Shi Yu Lu.
This En Shi Yu Lu consists of young small tippy leaves that are neatly rolled into green needles. There is a waxy appearance to the dark green dry leaves that is very similar to a sencha or gyokuro. It produces an opaque green-yellow liquor with a vegetal aroma. The flavours are light and smooth, without pronounced umami flavours or astringency. The bold herbaceous liquor has a verdant flavour with buttery notes reminiscent of a parsley and butter sauce. The aftertaste is mouthwatering, sweet and lightly drying.
It is best brewed at 80°C for 2-3 minutes according to your taste and can be brewed more than 3 times, increasing steeping time with each next brew if desired. Unlike gyokuro, this tea does not require a higher leaf to water ratio or lower brewing temperatures. Brew as you would most Chinese green teas!
You can also buy this En Shi Yu Lu Jade Dew green tea in our online shop.
Khao Hom Fragrant Rice Oolong
Khao Hom Fragrant Rice Oolong is a rather unusual tea for us at Curious Tea. We are purists when it comes to tea so normally we stay away from any favoured ones. Occasionally though we do include traditionally scented teas into our range that we think are outstandingly good, such as jasmine or ginseng scented ones. This oolong, however, is even more different. Not only does it include an unusual scenting agent but it also incorporates it into the mix of the leaves! It is grown around Santikhiri village (formerly Mae Salong) in Thailand, which is located around the highlands of Doi Mae Salong mountain, close to the border with Burma and Laos. Grown at an altitude of around 1,200-1,600 metres, it was plucked in spring 2024.
Khao Hom Fragrant Rice Oolong is a scented oolong tea that is produced from a Jin Xuan Golden Daylily (金萱) TRES #12 cultivar that is most commonly known for being the leaf of choice for Milk Oolong. This cultivar was originally imported from Taiwan and is famous for its creamy and milky aroma, mouthfeel and taste. When this area of Thailand went from growing opium poppies to sustainable tea growing, many tea cultivars were imported from Taiwan in order to quickly establish a booming tea industry. Taiwanese cultivars were particularly attractive as the growing conditions that these cultivars were selected for matched well the growing conditions of northern Thailand. Furthermore many consider Taiwanese teas to be of fantastic quality hence fetching a premium price, something Thai tea growers were understandably attracted to.
The scenting agent used for this tea is called Nuo Mi Xiang (糯米香), which literally translates as ‘Sticky Rice Fragrance’ and is normally used in Yunnan for scenting pu-erh. This herb is also known as Nuo Mi Xiang Nen Ye (Sweet Rice Tender Leaves) or alternatively by the catchy Latin name of Semnostachya menglaensis. It has a flavour not unlike vanilla, and is very similar to pandan, which is sometimes referred to as ‘asian vanilla’. This herb is also commonly used to scent rice, hence the name of this tea – Fragrant Rice or Sticky Rice Oolong – as it reminds us of fragrant rice that is so common around that part of Asia. When you brew this particular Khao Hom Fragrant Rice Oolong, you will see in your tea pot two types of leaves: some lighter coloured leaves, which are the leaves of the tea plant and some darker greener leaves, which are the actual leaves of the Sticky Rice Fragrance plant!
The tightly rolled leaves of this Khao Hom Fragrant Rice Oolong have a distinct fragrance akin to Thai jasmine rice. The brewed liquor has a light colour and a comforting aroma of fragrant sticky rice. This tea is carefully crafted so that the scenting complements the sweet creamy profile of the Jin Xuan cultivar, rather than overpowering it completely. This perfect balance results in a taste that is light, sweet and smooth, with a creamy and soft mouthfeel. There are lovely flavours of cream, nuts, corn, vanilla and pandan. The resulting cup is very well-balanced and quite addictive.
We suggest brewing at 90°C for 2-3 minutes according to your taste. It can be brewed 3 or more times depending on your taste preferences.
You can also buy this Khao Hom Fragrant Rice Oolong tea in our online shop.
Darjeeling Rohini Honey Ruby Oolong
Darjeeling Rohini Honey Ruby Oolong is a rare First Flush ‘muscatel’ oolong from the Rohini Tea Estate grown at an altitude of 900-1,200 metres. It consists of buds and smaller young leaves that are picked and processed entirely by hand to preserve the delicate nature of the tea leaves. The plucking time and processing is specifically geared towards producing a flavour with a more pronounced muscatel aspect that is reminiscent of Taiwanese Oriental Beauty teas. Crafted exclusively from AV2 plants, it is a little more oxidised to bring out stronger AV2 flavour. Due to the tippy nature it produces a particularly delicate flavour, with a sweet honeyed taste and a fresh citrus zest aftertaste. March 2024 harvest, the first pick of the AV2 bushes in Rohini. Compared to the Second Flush Honey Ruby Oolong from 2022, this tea has a lighter flavour and a slightly less pronounced honey taste.
Like all our Rohini and Gopaldhara teas, we source it directly from Rishi Saria, the owner and director of Gopaldhara and Rohini Tea Estates. Rohini Tea Estate is located along the route that connects the towns of Siliguri and Kurseong. Surrounded by a beautiful natural environment, this estate produces tea from relatively young trees. The estate has had a chequered past, not actually producing any tea for about 30 years after it was shut in 1962. Recently it has been replanted with young tea trees, so sometimes it is referred to as the youngest tea estate in Darjeeling. It is now going from strength to strength and is producing more and more interesting and higher quality teas. Most recently Rohini have been elevating the quality and flavours by focusing on smaller hand processed batches and more unusual types of tea.
This Honey Ruby Oolong is similar in nature to Taiwanese ‘bug bitten’ Oriental Beauty teas. Similarly to the attacks of a little green leaf hopper in Taiwan, this oolong is also affected by the Tea Jassids (Jacobiasca formosana) in Darjeeling. The leaf hoppers nibble the tea leaves during growth so the tea plants react to this attack by producing more polyphenols. During tea processing this produces a unique ‘beauty tea’ flavour (known as mi xian in Taiwan and referred to as muscatel in Darjeeling) that is usually described as having a honey-like taste and aroma.
This Darjeeling Rohini Honey Ruby Oolong is a very delicate First Flush muscatel oolong. It consists of very neat leaves with plenty of silver coloured buds that produce a bright, lightly golden liquor with good clarity and a sweet aroma. The lightly honeyed profile has a soft and smooth flavour without any harshness, astringency or dryness. The tasting notes also add spicy, mineral and tart fruity notes with a woody undercurrent. The aftertaste is very clean with lightly vaporific notes of citrus zest and just a touch of dryness at the very end.
It is best brewed at 90°C for 3-4 minutes and can be brewed 2+ times. Like all top grade teas from Gopaldhara and Rohini, you can try experimenting with gongfu brewing.
You can also buy this Darjeeling Rohini Honey Ruby Oolong tea in our online shop.
Mount Kenya Black
Mount Kenya Black is an approachable tea with a classic black tea profile. It is grown on a small scale farm at the foot of Mount Kenya in Nyeri County at an altitude of approximately 2,000m. The smaller, finer leaves produce a flavoursome liquor with an easy-going and smooth character. This tea is from July 2024 harvest.
We source Mount Kenya Black from a specialist wholesaler who works directly with small scale farmers in Kenya. Like our Kenyan Tumoi teas, these are sourced by the wholesaler directly from the farmers, thus guaranteeing them a fair price for their processed tea.
A large proportion of tea plantations in Kenya are owned by multinational corporations, with many plantations buying fresh tea leaves from small scale farmers. Large plantations largely produce CTC tea destined for tea bags, blends and extracts. This mass produced tea is traded at the Mombasa auction, where the price is dictated by worldwide market conditions, much like for any other traded commodity. On average, tea workers in Kenya are paid under $5 for picking 35-45 kilograms of fresh leaves a day. Small scale farmers are very much at the mercy of the big plantations as to the price they are paid for their fresh tea leaves.
As a possible way out of this situation, some farmers in Kenya, just like in India and other countries, are switching to processing their own higher quality orthodox tea. This does mean that they are required to invest in their own machinery and equipment. Although sometimes they also have access to cooperative processing equipment that they can use to process their own teas. Our Kenyan wholesaler works directly with such small scale farmers and cooperatives, creating a platform for their products and supporting their efforts.
Mount Kenya Black is a BOP (broken orange pekoe) grade tea, having a smaller broken leaf. This does mean that the liquor produced is both stronger and bolder in flavour while also being more versatile. The flavour produced is a very classic black tea profile, akin to a good quality English Breakfast blend. The taste is smooth, with malty notes of stewed fruits. There is no bitterness but there are pleasant tannins evident in the taste. The aftertaste is long-lasting, mineral and stony.
It is best brewed at 90°C for 3-4 minutes. You can also brew this tea stronger by steeping it longer and using higher temperature water. In such cases it will take well to the addition of a drop of milk.
You can also buy this Mount Kenya Black tea in our online shop.
We really do hope that you enjoy this tea selection and are looking forward to the selection in our May boxes, which will be a Taiwan Spring Special!
For the lighter side of the selection we opted for an unusual green tea crafted from a cultivar with purple leaves that is not commonly found in Taiwan. This is followed by a classic lightly oxidised Four Seasons Oolong that delivers an easy and drinkable floral liquor.
For the darker side of the selection we chose a roasted Tie Guan Yin Oolong from the famous Muzha terroir of northern Taiwan. The final dark tea selected is a heavily oxidised GABA tea made from the Red Jade cultivar that always delivers a unique flavour profile.
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