Hong Yu (Red Jade) is a tea variety, bred at the beginning of the 20th century on the Taiwan Tea Experimental Station (TTES) under the working number TTES-18 (so another name for the variety is Ruby-18 or Ruby Red). It is a hybrid of Indian Assamica and Taiwanese tea variety Qing Xin with an original, recognizable bouquet. «Hong Yu Hong Cha» (harvest autumn 2018) was made in Yuchi County (Nantou District) in the hills around Lake Ri Yue Tang.
Dry leaf: long, burgundy-brown flagella. The aroma is intensive, spicy-and-berry. The liquor is transparent, dark amber hue.
The bouquet of the brewed tea is exquisite, complex, spicy-and-berry, with floral, peppermint, cinnamon, and camphor notes. The aroma is delightful, balsamic, with berry and minty shades. The taste is refined and full-bodied, silky, deliciously tart, with a fine berry sourness, minty coolness, and lingering finish.
Brew tea with hot boiling water (95°C) in a porcelain gaiwan or a teapot of porous clay. The proportion is 4-5 g per 100 ml. The time of the first steeping is about 10 seconds. After that do short steeps (just for 2-3 seconds), increasing steeping time for each subsequent step, if necessary. You can steep the tea up to 10 times.
«Hong Yu Hong Cha» is an excellent ceremonial tea with rich, exquisite taste and deep, warming effect.
