It is important to first give thanks to all the farmers, producers and suppliers who kindly provide us with samples and an apology if we did not pick your tea!
This year we released a record number of new teas to the Mei Leaf roster and I am proud of each one. For every tea that we release we reject at least 50 others. This means that our tea represents the top 2% of the high-grade loose leaf tea that we taste. Of course this is mostly a subjective process but we hope that the teahead community can taste the quality and character in our selections
I am often asked to pick favourite teas which is a truly impossible question. Tea is always in flux and I will crave a different tea on any given day. However, if I try to switch off my analytical mind and allow my memories to recall the special tea moments of 2017, these teas are worth a special mention:
WHITE TEAS
Clearly Jade Star II was a bit of an event in 2017. After sourcing this tea for over a year, I was in a strange position when we released them and watched them fly. I was of course happy that you were all loving the JS2, however, I knew that this meant that the search for JS3 had to begin immediately!
GREEN TEA
First of all, that Uji Hikari Matcha has absolutely rocked our matcha world and we were so privileged to be able to purchase it from the Uji master matcha family. On our trip to Japan we found some next level Greens and that umami powerhouse Okumidori Gyokuro is probably the most impressive flavour experience of the year - if you have not tried it yet then get ready for an ultra umami, jelly thick brew that may change your perception of Green tea.
I have to say that along with the classics, I have really enjoyed our more quirky Greens this year like Naked Spring, Temple Blossom and the Handmade Monkey Picked tea.
OOLONGS
This year I was determined to dive deeper into China's favourite Oolong and boy did we get to taste some diverse Tie Guan Yin flavour profiles! Perhaps because it was on our shelves for such a short while, Sour Sap has a special place in my memories for its bright and sour candy tang and I am envious of anyone who has some in their collection. All of the other TGY's that we picked up from Anxi were top drawer though and the Autumn batch of Superior Iron Goddess is currently blowing us away with its rich fragrance.
Special mention has to go to the 25 Year Old TGY that we managed to find on our journeys. It is super small batch and if you have not tasted it yet then I sincerely advise you to grab a pack before it flies away as I do not think we will find another TGY aged for so many years.
In terms of strip Oolongs, while the prices of Dan Cong are getting crazy, the quality this year has been spectacular. Special mention has to go to Black Fruit Punch for its fruit laden vibrancy which is really unusual for a Da Wu Ye Dan Cong.
BLACK TEA
I think that 2017 has opened quite a few of our clients' eyes to the gorgeous flavours of Black tea. While the award went to Gleaming Brow, I think that many of you have been going crazy for our other two Lapsangs - the fruity Little Tong Mu and the Chocolate laden Souchong Liquor. I could not get enough of these teas this year.
PUERH
We rejected so many PuErh's this year because the price to quality ratio was not quite right for many of the teas out there. That PuErh bubble is growing so consumers and producers need to tread carefully. This is not to say that there weren't some incredible PuErh's available and when we found one with enough character we snapped them up.
Monocle Boss seems like a classic already but this was launched in 2017 and I will forever adore this tea. Our experiment with roasting Gushu PuErh was a bit of a risk but I am thrilled by the taste and aroma whenever we have a session. It is definitely the most unique tea we released in 2017 and we think that Roasted PuErh should be a thing in 2018.
Staying with the Raw PuErh's, we have a few incoming. One of which, some of you have already tasted - the Pudding Announcer! I am so excited about these teas but have to keep quiet until they are ready (Celine is designing the artwork!).
For Ripened tea we have been spoiled with two cakes that, in my opinion, set a high bar for any others to follow. The Malt Geezer sold out in no time at all and the After Party Enchanter is currently my absolute tipple of choice in these winter months.
So! Which is my tea of the year?
One tea stands above all other in terms of uniqueness of taste and aroma. The Psychic Stream Seeker - our roasted Gushu PuErh.
It is not often that you can take a tea type with thousands of years of history and create something totally fresh. This tea is the result of some crazy ideas during a tea session which turned into mad experimental roasting. We stood to lose a lot of money if this concept did not work and so the Stream Seeker represents the rewards of committing to creativity.
The rave reviews that we have received has given us the most immense satisfaction and a motivation to keep experimenting. Hearing that others have started roasting their raw PuErh's has been so exciting, perhaps we have invented a future for roasted PuErh!
Then you have that artwork! Celine somehow combined our creative drive to experiment and search for unique flavours with the character of the tea. The wrapper features the 'Psychic Stream Seeker' as a wide-eyed, transgender Alpaca, on a trip through the deserts. No doubt you have seen the image all over your Instagram as we unleashed the alpaca to the world of teaheads to express their incredible creativity.
But forget for a minute the journey and the creativity of this tea. At the end of it all a tea is all about the experience and even after many months, I am intrigued and enraptured by the Stream Seeker. It seems to shift and change and express itself with a freedom and individuality like no other tea. Nutty and roasted like a dark Oolong, zesty and bitter like limoncello, warm and sweet like a summer holiday. It is a total enigma of a tea.
That's it guys - Psychic Stream Seeker is my tea of 2017. Onwards and outwards my teahead friends - we are excited to find more treasure for 2018!
Happy brewing everyone!
