Producer: Loushui Cooperative
Region: Central China, Hefeng County
Style：Medium Oxidization
Cultivar：Mixed Indigenous Bushes
Tasting Notes：Dark Chocolate, Tree Bark, Coffee.
This is one of the most frequently requested teas that we have included in past samplers. Now, is the perfect time of the year to finally release it as a stand-alone product. It is a comfy, warm delight during cold weather that be brewed both grandpa style and gongfu style. Like Lichuanhong, it is an offshoot of the traditional Yihong red tea that used to be processed and exported in Hubei's one time hub of tea export, Yidu. This tea is named "Old Path" Yihong in reference to the red tea that used to be grown in the mountainous areas of Hefeng and Wufeng Counties and then carried by back for final processing in Yidu.
Unlike the "Yihong" that was being made for export as late as the 1980's, this red tea is whole leaf, machine kneaded, and is left to oxidize in a pile for significangtly less time. It is also made from a late Spring rather than Summer pick, meaning there are just enough tender leaves to ensure that kneading can fully breakdown leaf structure and the moisture there within, but also mature enough that the tea delivers its uniquely rich rich and deep mouthfeel that is lacking in many Chinese red teas today.
Click below to learn more about the history of Red Tea in China.
ORT - Red Tea Processing Deep Dive – One River Tea
