Guan Guan Cha
- Regular price
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£24.00 - Regular price
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- Sale price
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£24.00
饒奶奶的罐罐茶 貴州仡佬族原生傳統工藝綠茶
Single-batch Traditional Wild Green Tea Made by Grandma Rao from the Indigenous Tai Tea Trees (LAST BATCH)
We are saddened to share the news of Grandma's passing at the age of 102. In honour of Grandma's generous and joyous demeanour, we wish to share the last batch of her Guan Guan Cha with as many tea friends as possible. As the last batch is still being stored at Grandma's house in the mountains of Shiqian, please allow us an extra few days to pack and send your teas.
Even at 101, Grandma Rao still went to the mountains foraging for tea leaves and produced tea from her kitchen. She was one of the respected elders from the Rao Brother family in Shiqian, Guizhou. Her knowledge of indigenous plants and the traditional approach to tea-making has been passed down to the Rao Brothers and significantly influenced their approach to our Wild Green Tai and Wild & Ancient Red Tai tea.
Grandma Rao’s Guan Guan Cha represents one of the oldest tea-making traditions in the Guizhou region today. After natural withering, “fixation” (殺青), oxidation, rolling and frying all happen simultaneously as she tosses and turns the leaves by hand under wood-burning heat. Going beyond the six types of Chinese teas today defined by their processing procedures, it is a tea that celebrates the union of Green, Yellow, Red and raw Puerh tea.
Expect mesmerising floral notes intertwined with earthy undertones while the depths of red and Pu’er tea follow a refreshing, thirst-quenching mouthfeel. (It’s a journey!)
This tea is full of life and strength, and we recommend enjoying it after a meal and starting with 3-4g per brew for at least 10 re-brews until you have made acquaintance with it. A tea for you to slow down and feel joyous, lifted and energised.
Taste Profile
Creamy, Nutty, Woody, Refreshing, and Floral
Feel
- Enlivening & Uplifting
- Refreshing & Cooling
Health Benefits
- Anti-inflammatory
- Focus & Clarity
- Nutrient Dense
Season
- 2023 Autumn
Indigenous Tree Type
Tai 苔茶種
Tree Age
400 - 600 y/o
Habitat
Shi Qian, Guizhou.
Elevation
1300-1500m
Cultural Significance
罐罐茶 literally means “tea in a little pot”. For centuries, the Gelao people like to gather around the fire while waiting for their tea to simmer in a clay pot. Typically adding salt and seasonal roasted grains, the soup is poured into small bowls for everyone to enjoy. Guan Guan Cha style is still a preferred way of drinking tea in Shiqian, Guizhou today.
What's so special about this tea?
What's so special about Tai tea?
Tai tea trees, native to the east of the province, have grown wild and remained almost inaccessible for millennia. They're bold in colour (purple), taste and nutrients thanks to the area's mineral-rich soil and unique natural spring irrigation. A typical brew of
Tai tea has an infusion extract of 46% (a good quality whole-leaf infusion is around 32%). Tai teas are packed with much more nutrients than other teas – including vitamins, anthocyanin (a natural anti-oxidant) and minerals such as Ka, Zinc and Selenium."
Guan Guan Cha
- Regular price
-
£24.00 - Regular price
-
- Sale price
-
£24.00
Compared to the other teas I felt her life force during the whole process of using the tea. I could feel and see her as she was when she made the tea. She helped me to make it properly . It was like she combined with me to experience it once more.
Lip-smackingly fresh on first brew, like a young green tea, then upliftingly astringent like grapefruit and bitter melon, but sweeter than that suggests. Superb. So glad to have experienced this tea.