Blog Post One: A study on White2Tea Yan Cha Part 1

In this post, I will be breaking down two high-caliber roasted oolongs from White2Tea: Iron Arhat and Stone Milk, and giving my personal thoughts.

Yan Cha (Rock Oolong for those not familiar with the Chinese terminology) is a style of tea that I am relatively new to, but one that I thoroughly enjoy, especially when the last ragged clutch of winter still clings to my bones. It is a (in most cases) heavily roasted style of oolong from Fujian Province in China, with many different cultivars produced that result in vastly different flavour profiles that lurk beneath the charcoal roast.

The two that I would like to delve into today are from the brilliant White2Tea, whose accolades I’m sure many of you Teaheads are well aware of: Iron Arhat and Stone Milk. The tea names are the English translations of the original Chinese names of the cultivars that they are produced from: “Tie Luo Han” meaning “Iron Arhat” and “Shi Ru” meaning “Stone Milk”

It’s important to mention that although I am tasting these teas side-by-side they are very different in character, and so any direct comparison is difficult, although I hope that my insight may provide you with some rough notes to go off of should you wish to purchase either of them.

Starting with the Stone Milk, I will break down everything from the aroma through to the taste and finish. The aroma starts as a subtly floral, creamy and sweet affair, I’m picking up notes of; brown sugar, charcoal, cake rusk, parma violets, hot patio stones and volcanic rock. A definite mineral-heavy roast presence, but backed by a solid core of sweet complexity. The taste follows with notes of White Rabbit candy, cinnamon, 5 spice, orange chews with the parma violet note from the aroma carrying through. The body is undeniably thicker than the average Yan Cha, a consistency I would label “Medium-Thick”, with a delightful tingly, vaporous mouthfeel and a smooth, sweet, lingering finish. The price is a (in my opinion) reasonable £0.48/gram, which for the experience I think is definitely worth your time and investment.

Now, on to the Iron Arhat. The aroma is first of all noticeably more savoury than the Stone Milk with notes of; cooked cheddar (without the acridity), baked potato, sweet hay, tobacco, sponge cake and peach rings. I have to say that I am a big fan of teas with a savoury quality, so I admit that I may be guilty of playing favourites. The taste follows up with layers of intrigue, opening up to reveal notes of; rosemary, thyme, barbecued peach, and a pleasant sweet creaminess. The body I would describe as “Medium” with a rich, rounded oiliness that fills the mouth and feels very satisfying to drink. The finish is cooling and vaporous, with a heavy mineral grip and ending on a white-grape-like fruity sweetness. At a slightly more expensive £0.60/gram, I think this tea shows a higher level of complexity when compared to the Stone Milk, not that I think this tea is necessarily “better”, as they are both just very different, but the Iron Arhat has a certain quality that makes it uber-satisfying to drink. It has a kind of oily slickness combined with a soothing and satisfying juiciness that just makes it a joy to sip on.

The experience of drinking these teas has gotten me quite excited to try more of the Yan Cha’s from the White2Tea collection, as well as inspiring me to consider adding more of these wonderful oolong teas to my basket whenever I order tea in general.

I hope that you have enjoyed my very first blog post, I am excited to share my ideas and thoughts here and seeing where it leads. If you’d like to connect with me, feel free to submit a form on the “Contact” section of the website, as well as giving my tea page a follow on Instagram (just click the Instagram icon! :) )

I hope you all have a lovely tea to sip on today,

Until next time,

Peter.