Wuyi Qi Lan

The first whiff of these dark Wuyi Qi Lan leaves brings a delightful swell of caramelized apple sweetness and roasted nuttiness!, and had me excited about the whole brewing session right out of the gate! The liquor brewed up to a bright orange color which deepended with subsequent infusions. You’ll want to inhale the divine aroma with every sip! A floral creaminess that underpins the stoic rock tea elements perfectly. The first infusion had a gentle mineral aspect with more prominent roasty-malty grains. The next infusions leaned into the rock tea elements that we love in Wuyi Qi Lan, bringing more of those mineral and dark chocolate tones with a gentle floral provided by the nose. The dense silky mouthfeel really plays a nice part in the profile of this tea too. In Chinese there are different words for ‘silky’ to describe the different textures. The one that fits this Wuyi Qi Lan is ‘dense silky’ (绸缎). If you can imagine a granite slab made of silk, it was something like that, with some floral creaminess! Eventually, the floral tones started to shine again making the whole session a wonderful rollercoaster of flavors and sensations! Take your time with this Wuyi Qi Lan. Smell the bottom cup (melty brown sugar) and the gaiwan lid (more of that sweet floral). It’s a tea to be sipped slowly and relished.