Gongfu!
This afternoon I’m continuing to sip through The Silk Tea Co’s newest collection of oolongs with a session of Temple of Stone!! Though the most immediate notes are of cassia, charred campfire wood, roasted chestnuts, wet stones and nutmeg there’s a definite fruity sweetness that slowly builds and pushes up on the palate from beneath the layers of roast, mineral, and spice. My first thought was more ethereal in that it tasted “purple,” but after some contemplation I’ve settled that it’s more a mix of jammy plum and black currant flavours! It is, as the name suggests, a lot of stone though…
It’s not a secret that I have a soft spot for rock oolongs, so I was definitely excited to try this one. Unlike the typical yancha from China, it’s actually from Yilan in Taiwan though, thanks to generations of shared knowledge, you really can’t taste the difference. As Marika once said to me super casually, terroir is as much people as it is land. Definitely, definitely, definitely thinking about that a lot as I sip on these infusions.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CtkKDsrO3ol/
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0ftjm9KrXk