Tea: Heritage Ai Jiao
Merchant: Red Blossom Tea Co.
Origin: Jian'ou, Fujian Province, China
Leaf Characteristics: twisted
Varietal/Type: Oolong, dwarf oolong varietal
Flavor Profile: burnt sugar roastiness with floral notes

Steeping Suggestions: 1 tbs. steeped for 1-2 min. in gaiwan, yixing teapot or ceramic teapot @195º-200ºF
Notes: The leaves were harvested by hand in mid-May 2009 and then crafted using centuries old methods -- first sun-withered, bruised and oxidized, then hand-roasted. The resulting mao cha is then taken through a series of traditional, heritage charcoal roastings to deepen and intensify the tea's flavor. Though crafted in the Wuyi style, Aijiao is not a Wuyi oolong. It is a dwarf oolong varietal from Jian'ou county, 60 kilometers south of Wuyi. Tea cultivation in Jian'ou County dates back nearly two thousand years -- the most famous tribute teas during the Northern Song Dynasty came from Jian'ou County's Beiyuan imperial tea gardens. We discovered that not only does Aijiao share a common ancestry with Formosa oolongs, making it the mother varietal to Taiwanese teas, but there is reason to believe that oolong tea originated in Jian'ou.