Shuili Black Tea | Grand Cru Variety • Full Oxidation
A dense, polymerised molecular structure: a stable enzymatic profile from mid-altitude terroirs.
Location and Growing Variables
Biotope
Grown in the valleys of Shuili, in central Taiwan. This terroir benefits from iron-rich clay soil and an alternation between morning mists and moderate sunshine, favouring the synthesis of complex sugars in the leaf.
Harvest
A selective hand harvest. The leaves are picked at a precise stage of maturity to ensure a high polyphenol content, essential to the success of the long oxidation process.
Technical Data and Processing
Complete, controlled oxidation. After prolonged withering, the leaves undergo mechanical rolling that breaks the cell walls, releasing the enzymes for a full polymerisation of the catechins into thearubigins and theaflavins.
A final thermal stabilisation at low temperature to fix the aromas without charring. This process develops the Maillard reactions responsible for the malted, toasted notes of the product.
A high concentration of theaflavins, the pigments responsible for the brilliance of the liquor and for the antioxidant character specific to black tea.
Organoleptic Characteristics
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MouthfeelA full, round body. The texture is dense, almost syrupy, with no tannic dryness on the finish.
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Aromatic SpectrumAn architecture defined by woody, malted heart notes. The profile is completed by nuances of forest honey and roasted cacao beans, born of the breakdown of carbohydrates during transformation.
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Character in the CupHere the theine is bound to tannin polymers, ensuring a slow release.
Brewing Parameters
Extraction: Recommended water temperature: 90 °C to 95 °C. The molecular structure of black tea requires high heat to dissolve its densest compounds.
Protocol: Use 3 g of leaves for 200 ml of filtered water. Infusion time: 3 to 5 minutes. The resilience of the leaves allows multiple infusions, revealing different nuances with each pass.
Result: A liquor of deep amber colour, limpid and of great chromatic brilliance.
