MaTouYan "Horse Head Cliff" Rou Gui 2022 (Aged Traditional Full/Dark Roast - Zu Huo 足火）

A heavily oxidized Rougui from MaTouYan "Horse Head Cliff", crafted in the 足火 Zu Huo style "Traditional Dark/Full Roast".

This batch is from 2022 had ample time for the tea to rest and mellow out. I was contemplating to secure a small batch of high quality material from Ma Tou Yan to experiment in crafting at a high oxidation and roasting at the darkest levels. But somehow the universe heard me and decided to save me some leg work. This tea made its way to me from a connection with another teamaker experimenting with zuhuo styles at a very small scale (mostly for personal consumption). At the time, this tea was roasted a bit more than one would usually go for, and that made the resting period taking one additional year longer.

I would not say this is the easiest tea and can be overwhelming for certain palettes accustomed to mid-roasts or high-roasts that tends to be much more vibrant, dynamic, and complex in high aromatics and flavors. Due to this tea's high level of oxidation the flavors can be very heavy and dark (think along the lines of tobacco, coffee, betel nut, licorice). 

I have set aside a small portion of this tea to monitor for the coming years. It would be interesting to see if a few more years of aging would continue to transform the tea.

Tasting notes:

Initials consists of velvet texture , dark coffee, and brown flavors. The mineral sensation of Yan Yun slowly concentrates at the center and more front of the tongue. Descending notes of little hints of spice akin to cloves at the finish of each sip.

Because of this kind of roast and aging, the Yan Yun is very apparent and more easy to detect. Aromatics and vibrancy tends to be on the lower end for these kinds of aged zuhuo dark roast teas. No cassia/cinnamon or fruit fragrance here. The RouGui flavors appears more at the end of each sip, with a little fizz of herbaceous spice and cloves.

***If you prefer RouGui Yanchas that has more high aromatics and balanced complexity, refer to the other "Ma Tou Yan 2024 (high roast) or "Hui Yuan RouGui 2924" in the collection.

Brewing Recommendations:

For aged darker roast teas, it is better to brew with higher leaf to water ratio. Increased dosage of 5-8 grams to 100ml water. Boiling hot water and short steeps for concentrated brews. Although I would say the Yancha enthusiasts might prefer to add a little bit more time to their steeps, as this kind of tea is compatible with longer brewing times.