Qi Lan Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong

A noteworthy addition to the Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong heritage, this new adaptation has been made with the Qi Lan (meaning ??rare orchid??) cultivar, usually reserved for yan cha production. Despite its pedigree, the brew is less floral than expected. Instead, the small leaves that make up this black tea are brimming with the aromas of a Chinese apothecary and its mysterious herbal cabinets filled with dried ginseng, jujube berries, and licorice root, opening up the palate to a rare m??lange of flavors. While the sweet maltiness is reminiscent of the other unsmoked Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong from this year’s harvest, the three can be compared to a meeting between distant relatives,?whose features are similar yet so very different.