Ancient Tree Black Tea

I came across Ancient Tree Black Tea while living in Beijing. The first time was when a friend was going to show me a tea shop, so we arranged to meet in a building with many tea stores. I arrived early, so I wandered around and happened to find a shop with cute tea tools. They had just gotten Ancient Tree Black Tea from Yunnan, so they prepared some for me.

It warmed me up on a cold morning and the shop staff was easy to talk with, so I started going there regularly. And of course I bought some Ancient Tree Black Tea when I returned to Japan.

The leaves of Ancient Tree Black Tea are plucked from trees over 100 years old in Yunnan Province. These leaves from old trees that have survived for many years have a lot of vitality and energy, and I hear they’re also effective at warming the body.

Drinking this tea every morning became a habit in Beijing's winter. As temperatures drop, I start wanting to drink black tea. I just received a lotus paste moon cake from Hong Kong, so I decided to have Ancient Tree Black Tea for the first time in a while.

I steep 3g of leaves at about 95 degrees (F) for about 40 seconds, and it becomes a reddish brown color with a very pretty sheen. As expected, drinking Ancient Tree Black Tea for the first time in a long time is intoxicatingly delicious. On the first steep, there are aromas and flavors that feel sweet and brilliant. I shorten the steep time from the second infusion, but it gradually becomes more mellow and I can sense a floral aroma and astringency that slightly lingers in my mouth. Enjoying the changes in flavor between the first and second steeps is part of the fun of drinking Chinese tea.

My snacks with the tea are a moon cake with two egg yolks and a mix of pine nuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds. Unsurprisingly, the Chinese tea goes nicely with a sweet moon cake. As I drank many cups, my body steadily became warm.

As I drank Ancient Tree Black Tea for the first time in a while and think about Beijing’s cold winter, my heart also became warm.

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陽子 (Yoko)

IG: yanziintokyo