Camaro Dreams of Wenshan
In terms of trends, it is true that everything old becomes new again and as is the case with this tea, an out of favor style of processing is reintroduced to give it a whole new look.
Over the last few decades, medium to high roast oolongs have given away to lightly oxidized oolongs with little to no roast. Now that the pendulum has begun to swing in the other direction, the complexity that a good roast step can add is starting to be appreciated by more and more tea drinkers.
Keep in mind, like in coffee, we're no fans of tea roasted within inches of its life. But, when a roast is done right, it elevates a tea far beyond what can be pulled out otherwise.
The standard bearer for this, is the classic 80's Lugu championship style Dong Ding, or Frozen Summit. Similar to the 80s Camaro, this tea had serious fun energy, offering an unforgettable time with a devil-may-care attitude of what tomorrow would bring. But like everything with the 80s, even Frozen Summit couldn't escape the gravitational pull of new trends, and soon this tea became forgotten when placed next to its higher elevation counterparts.
Since those faded glory days, it has been our mission to find an oolong that could live up to this memory. More than just a nostalgic joyride, Camaro Dreams of Wenshan rises to the challenge, with notes of roasted chicory, lady of the night brunfelsia and cane jaggery held in balance, making one believe that the 80s never died, Miami Vice never ended and that the Memphis Design Style never had to make a comeback.
Teamaker - Mr. Weng
Roaster - Ms. Chen
Location - Wenshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan
Elevation - 1,900'
Harvest Time - April 2023