Tangerine Blossom Red Tea

Harvest

First and second flush

In early spring, the bud and first leaves of the tea plant are hand-plucked while still tender.
The tangerine flowers used to scent this tea are harvested just before they open, on a dry day in late spring or early summer.

Processing

This tea is withered, rolled, and oxidized within a day of being harvested. The leaves are then set apart while the tangerine trees bud and prepare to blossom.

When the tangerine flowers are just about to open, they must be harvested immediately. The blossoms are heaped into piles in a process called yang hua, which primes and ripens the flowers so that they bloom and peak when mixed with the tea leaves.

The tangerine flowers and the tea are mixed together and left to infuse for one day and night. The mixture is shaken, and the flowers are removed as they float to the top. The tea is then dehydrated in an oven to bring down the moisture content that it took from the flowers and is left for at least three days to absorb the natural tangerine floral aroma deep into the center of the leaf.

The Tangerine Blossom Red Tea is finished over fir and fruit tree charcoal at a medium/high temperature. This slow process maintains the integrity of the young leaves, while the nearly odorless flames from the sweet wood impart a clean aroma.

A small portion of the finished tea is mixed again with fresh tangerine flowers, then combined with the full batch just before packing. This final seasoning, called pin hua, adds a lingering complexity to the aroma of the tea without bulking up the finished tea with superfluous flowers.