Over a year of blending has created an immaculate marriage between a ridiculously aromatic Rou Gui and a Yunnan rose with unparalleled fruitiness.
Hot Glove started with a rose.
One batch of Hotan rose from Xinjiang captured me in 2023 with its unique fruit and cinnamon spice depth. I became a little obsessed with finding a tea to blend it with and tried many combinations to no avail.
Until a batch of Bai Rui Xiang Rou Gui landed on my sampling table. It was so flowery and fruity and paired with the rose wonderfully.
But by that point, the batch of Hotan rose had been sold and subsequent batches did not have the same character. Now I had found the tea but I had no rose!
So I went on a rose hunt and uncovered a pink rose from Dounnan in Yunnan that was perfection for this blend - so fruit forward with the perfect balance of richness and brightness to dance with the Oolong.
After over a year of tinkering and blending, we can finally release Hot Glove.
The key to blending is not just to mix complementary aromatics but for the relationship of the ingredients to create a third flavour - a unique creation, a blend where the sum is greater than its parts.
Before we get into the experience of Hot Glove I would like you to know that, individually, this tea and tisane are remarkable. This is not a blend of a lower-grade tea and a flower to fill in any gaps in the tea's character.
The Rou Gui is called Bai Rui Xiang which roughly translates to '100 blossom fragrance' and it lives up to its name - gardenia, magnolia, fruit blossoms and so many berries mingle with vanilla and fudge.
The Yunnan Dounnan Rose is jammy and juicy - strawberry, orange and a little cinnamon spice.
Hot Glove marries these two aromatic brews to create a full-on taste and texture bomb (with a cheeky body sensation to match).
It is high praise to say that the 'rose aroma' is not the first tasting note that pops out from the leaves or the tea - in fact rose is far down the list.
The reason this is a compliment is that it shows how well the rose aromatics have melded with the tea flavour to create new tastes.
The bass notes of butterscotch, vanilla and muscovado sugar combine with the charred woods, leather and vinyl to provide a warm, sweet yet punchy body. Which is then unashamedly drenched in fruit juice and flower nectar.
We have strawberries, oranges, plums, lychee, mangosteen, mango and jujube bursting in the mouth. There is also a lighter and slightly creamy note of pear candy which plays perfectly alongside the white flower notes of lotus, gardenia and magnolia.
I can't get enough of the aroma, it is an orgy for the senses (which kind of inspired the slightly decadent and sensual cover).
All that you have to do is read through the tasting notes on this page to see that this tea is ridiculous and the amazing thing is that I reckon other teaheads will come up with even more references. It is just such a full and rich experience.
Oh and the finish and minerality is sublime - vaporous and juicy with that essential yancha rockiness.
Drink it strong and the body sensation will get you! It is warm but with a cheeky energy in case that was needed to sway you.
I don't know if this is a one off or the beginning of a new series of blends but I will say that this one took over a year to make so don't expect another one like this for a while.
This is the PERFECT tea to seduce noobs into true but will also wow connoisseurs with its unique and overflowing character. There aren'many teas that can say this and I highly recommend you nabbing a cake or three.
