Welcome to the September 2024 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 a unique green tea from Kenya’s Tumoi Tea Cooperative that is crafted from a purple lea cultivar to create a vegetal liquor high in anthocyanin content. The next light tea we selected this month is a classic yellow Huang Ya tea from Huang Shan in Anhui Province of China that delivers a smooth and mellow flavour.
For the dark side of the selection we chose our popular Black Pagoda tea from Yunnan Province of China that is hand shaped into cones that unfurl into flowers when brewed, featuring a classic Yunnan Red tea character with a smooth, sweet and malty profile. The final tea we selected this month, also from Kenya’s Nandi Hills, is a tippy black tea that produces a bold flavour akin to a good Assam with a fruity taste and pleasant tannins.
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 September tea subscription boxes.
Tumoi Nandi Hills Purple
Tumoi Nandi Hills Purple is an unusual green tea grown around Nandi Hills at an altitude of over 2,000 metres by the Tumoi Teas Cooperative. This tea is harvested year round, is grown without the use of pesticides and this is the latest May 2024 harvest.
This Kenyan purple tea cultivar (TRFK306) was developed from standard Camellia sinensis var. assamica by the Kenyan Tea Research Institute over the past 25 years by a process of extensive breeding and selection. The name comes from the fact that the leaves of these tea plants are tinted reddish-purple. This is the result of the tea plants having higher amounts of anthocyanins in their leaves. This is a natural pigment that also occurs in grapes, blueberries and cranberries and also acts as protection from UV rays. Hence this type of tea can be grown at higher altitude and closer to the equator. In fact, purple tea can also be found naturally occurring in Yunnan Province in China where they are subject to strong sunlight and harsh growing conditions.
The rationale behind developing unusual and specialist teas is that the Kenyan tea industry is dominated by CTC (cut-tear-curl) teas that are destined for bags. The CTC market is very volatile with large corporations buying up the majority of CTC tea and generally trying to drive the prices down. This results in very little return for the farmers. In contrast, farmers that grow small scale but high quality teas such as this purple varietal are more in control over pricing and enjoy much fairer returns for their labour. Purple tea is also more resistant to the effects of drought, frost and pests ensuring the farmers enjoy a higher yearly yield from their tea plants. Further reasoning behind developing the purple tea variety is the high anthocyanin content. Anthocyanins act as an antioxidant and this very high antioxidant content is further driving the popularity of purple tea. As it is a green tea, the processing preserves most of the antioxidant properties of the leaves.
Unusually, but similarly to other purple green teas, Tumoi Nandi Hills Purple is a colour changing tea! When you brew this tea, the colour can range from pale green to a more reddish-purple. This is the result of anthocyanins reacting to the pH levels of the water. As explained in this research paper, liquids with anthocyanins have a ‘red-pink’ colour at lower pH levels, ‘reddish-purple’ at neutral pH 7 and ‘green’ at higher pH levels. So for this particular purple tea, it is hard for us to describe the colour of the liquor as it will vary depending on the pH levels of the water that you use. You can also change the colour of this tea from green to the more vivid purple and pink colour by adding a few drops of lemon juice.
Tumoi Nandi Hills Purple is a lovely grassy green tea that is similar to a Japanese style of green tea. Twisted dark green leaves have a sweet floral aroma. The liquor has a lightly creamy colour with a purple tint when brewed at neutral pH levels. This tea has a thick coating character with a profile most similar to fresh spring greens. There is a nice level of sweetness in this tea reminiscent of candied tart fruits and notes of sweet plums and sultanas on the aftertaste. There is a degree of astringency present, which can be easily mitigated by lower brewing temperature and shorter steeping time.
It is best brewed at 70°C for 2-3 minutes and should be brewed multiple times.
You can also buy this Tumoi Nandi Hills Purple green tea in our online shop.
Huo Shan Huang Ya
Huo Shan Huang Ya (霍山黃芽) is a yellow tea from Huo Shan County, located in Anhui Province of China. A balanced and mellow tea, it has smooth vegetal notes with no astringency. Grown from Jin Ji cultivar at an altitude of 800 meters, this particular batch was hand plucked and processed in early April 2024.
The name of this yellow tea translates as Mount Huo Yellow Bud and refers to its origin (Huo Shan 霍山 – Mount Huo) as well as to the fact that tender buds of this tea are processed using the yellow tea production method. Yellow tea production method is distinct from other teas. While some may find this tea similar to other gently processed greens, all yellow teas undergo a special separate procedure called Sealing Yellow (闷黄 – Men Huang). A laborious process that requires great skill on the tea master’s part results in yellow teas having a much milder and smoother taste.
The Men Huang process is what distinguishes yellow tea from green tea. After plucking, just like with green tea, the leaves are briefly withered. Also like green tea, yellow tea is then heated (traditionally panned in a wok but also using modern machinery), but at a lower temperature than green tea. Afterwards, while the tea is still hot, it is usually rolled, piled and wrapped in paper or cloth to initiate the Men Huang process. It is all done in a controlled environment with further piling and with the introduction of heat and moisture by spraying or steam. This results in slight oxidation through a process of light non-enzymic fermentation. In some cases this process can be repeated many times over a number of days until the desired outcome is achieved. Finally the tea is fixed and dried by either heating or panning in a wok or in a modern machine equivalent. This processing profoundly affects the flavour of the tea, reducing grassy and dry notes and instead making the tea more mellow, smoother and sweeter.
Huo Shan Huang Ya yellow tea has a beautifully mellow nature that sets it apart from other non-oxidised teas. The dark green leaves have a slightly waxy appearance with plenty of silver hairs evident on the straight tippy leaves. When brewed it produces a liquor that is light in colour and taste. At the same time the flavours are quite full – more so than with similar light green or heavier white teas. The processing of this tea really balances the flavours and mellows it out. While it still has some vegetal flavours similar to other green teas, the profile is very smooth and lacking in any grassy astringency of green tea. This tea has umami vegetal notes that are a little sweet and a little savoury at the same time with just a hint of roasted and nutty notes.
This yellow tea is best brewed at 80°C for 2-3 minutes according to your taste and can be brewed 3-4 times, increasing steeping time with each next brew if desired.
You can also buy this Huo Shan Huang Ya yellow tea in our online shop.
Dian Hong Black Pagoda
Dian Hong Black Pagoda (滇红黑宝塔) is a speciality hand-tied tea from Yunnan Province of China that is also known as Black Tower in English or Bao Ta in Chinese. The various names of this tea reference the unique tower shape that is achieved by shaping the tied leaves into a cone prior to drying. The select leaves used for this tea produce a mellow and smooth liquor with a complex array of light flavours. This lot is from April 2024 harvest.
This Dian Hong Black Pagoda has been tied together into cones prior to drying. After the leaves are dried, they retain this shape but once they are submerged in water, they open up to form a flower. The Dian Hong Black Pagoda that we selected is simply hand tied, but unlike many other flowering teas, the actual tea used to produce this one is of a very high quality, yielding a cup of tea bursting with fantastic flavour.
Dian Hong Black Pagoda has plenty of golden tips which are evident on the dry cones. When you brew this tea, the towers open up into flowers and produce an amber liquor with a lovely malty and floral aroma. The taste is smooth, well-balanced and without astringency. There are light flavours that are sweet and malty with notes of fruits and cocoa. The tangy aftertaste adds to the refreshing character of this tea. It is light and neutral, having a very comforting flavour, making this tea perfect on its own or paired with lightly flavoured food.
This tea is best brewed with water at 90°C for 3-4 minutes and should be brewed multiple times. Each pagoda is an ideal size to brew gong fu in a gaiwan.
You can also buy this Dian Hong Black Pagoda black tea in our online shop.
Tumoi Nandi Hills Gold
Tumoi Nandi Hills Gold is a classic tippy black tea with a profile similar to some of the best Assam black teas. Grown around Nandi Hills at an altitude of over 2,000 metres by the Tumoi Teas Cooperative without the use of pesticides, it is processed using traditional orthodox tea production methods. This Tumoi Nandi Hills Gold is from the May 2024 harvest.
Tumoi Teas Cooperative is a relatively new type of tea farmer cooperative in Kenya that focuses on creating beautiful tea while also supporting local farmers and the local community. While a large proportion of tea plantations in Kenya are owned by multinational corporations, Tumoi Teas is completely run and managed by small-scale tea farmers.
Tumoi specifically focusses on producing high-quality orthodox teas. The rationale behind this is that the Kenyan tea industry is dominated by CTC (cut-tear-curl) teas that are destined for bags. The CTC market is very volatile with large corporations buying up the majority of CTC tea and generally trying to drive the prices down. This results in very little return for the farmers. In contrast, farmers that grow small scale but high quality teas are more in control over pricing and enjoy much fairer returns for their labour.
This Tumoi Nandi Hills Gold has smaller darker leaves with plenty of golden tips, earning the ‘Gold’ part of its name. It is similar in appearance to a good quality Assam and certainly produces a liquor that has similar characteristics. As such this tea will find great appeal amongst those who enjoy a cup of good Assam or stronger breakfast black tea. It produces a dark liquor with a fruity and malty aroma. The taste is smooth and clean with fruity and lightly malty and woody notes. There is a nice level of light tannins that is present in the main taste. The aftertaste displays some sweetness, which is nicely offset by a touch of long-lasting tannins.
It is best brewed at 90°C for 3-4 minutes and should be brewed around two times depending on your taste. If you do prefer a stronger brew, this tea will stand a longer infusion and higher water temperature well to produce a much strong cup.
You can also buy this Tumoi Nandi Hills Gold 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 October boxes!
For next month we will be featuring two teas each from Darjeeling in India and from Thailand. For the light side of the selection, we chose a Silver Tips white tea from Gopaldhara in Darjeeling and a Milk Oolong from Doi Mae Salong in northern Thailand. For the dark side, we selected a Second Flush Golden Tips black tea, also from Gopaldhara, and a Ruby version of the Milk Oolong from Thailand.
If reading this has made you curious about our teas, but you don’t yet subscribe to a monthly tea selection, you can sign up for our tea boxes in just a few clicks. We ship worldwide from London, UK.
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