Master’s Red — Wild-Harvested Red Tea from Ancient Bird King Tea Trees

林老師傳統工藝  二零二六  紅茶

A wild-harvested Chinese red tea (known as black tea in the West) crafted in the mountains of Guizhou from ancient and indigenous Bird King tea trees, using Master Lin’s ancestral Living Tea methods passed down through generations.

The vivid floral fragrance of Master’s Red reflects a rare harmony between season, landscape and craftsmanship. In Chinese tea, this elegant returning sweetness and aroma is traditionally described as 蘭花香 — an orchid-like floral lift that lingers after swallowing and quietly rises back through the breath (Huí Gān | 回甘). The 2026 spring harvest expresses this especially vividly, carrying an expansive floral character reminiscent of a refined Shuixian Oolong, alongside deep sweetness and remarkable softness on the body.

Nearly 400 years ago, teas like this red tea were carried from the mountains of Guizhou to Britain by Chinese envoys. Much has changed since then in the global story of tea. Yet here in Guizhou, we are still foraging from the same wild, ancient Bird King tea trees, crafted through the same living traditions passed down through tea-making families for generations.

The leaves are harvested whole — bud, leaf and stem together — allowing the tea to continue breathing and transforming throughout the crafting process. Even when brewed strongly, Master’s Red remains smooth, warming and quietly uplifting without the heaviness or sharpness often associated with modern red teas.

Compared to the bright floral energy of the spring harvest, the autumn batch leans deeper and more grounding, with notes of dried fruits, warm wood and autumn forest after rain. Together, the two harvests reveal how profoundly season, climate, and craftsmanship shape the living character of tea.

For us, Master’s Red carries the feeling of returning home after a long journey. Its warmth, deep sweetness and lingering fragrance have long made teas like this companions for colder seasons, slower evenings and moments when comfort is needed most. We hope both harvests can bring a sense of warmth, ease and quiet restoration into your everyday life.