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Buy Luyeh Red
Luyeh Red
Luyeh Red
Luyeh Red
Luyeh Red Oolong Tea
Luyeh Red Oolong Tea
Luyeh Red Oolong Tea

Luyeh Red

$24.99
$24.99
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A red oolong from Taiwan

This wonderfully transportive red oolong is handcrafted on a sustainably managed farm in southeast Taiwan. Wild forest honey and roast carob aromas melt into soothing flavours of dried apricot and peat smoke.

TEA TYPE

Oolong Tea

Season

Seasonal harvest

Taste Profile

Sweetly aromatic with
smoky dried fruit notes

Origin

Taitung, Taiwan

Food Pairing

Umami-rich dishes,
mature cheeses, oily fish

Picked by hand

Multi award winning

Obal 2021 award x 2
World Packaging awards 2021

Luyeh Red, Taiwan

Red oolong is a relatively new style of tea, developed by Taiwan's Tea Research and Extension Station in Taitung in the 1990s. The leaves are richly oxidised, as with black tea, then lightly roasted to create a distinct oolong style. Ours is made by Mr Lin at his small farm in the coastal township of Luyeh in southeast Taiwan. His sustainably managed tea garden is a world away from the bustling northern cities where he started out. Mr Lin actually used to work in construction, but one day, while watching a family relaxing around a pot of tea, his worldview changed and he decided to buy a farm. It took years to re-cultivate the land, but Mr Lin and his family have achieved wonders.

We tried many red oolongs, but Mr Lin's 'broken leaf' really caught our attention. The care and craft is evident throughout this tea, from its appearance to its sumptuous aromas and flavours. It combines teas from the spring and winter harvests, which Mr Lin says gives a better overall complexity. After picking, the leaves are withered to a 75% level of oxidation. Before roasting, Mr Lin and his son then shape the leaves by hand, wrapping them in canvas and rolling them methodically into a ball. This curls and breaks the leaves, helping release more of the tea's unique flavours when brewed.

  • LEAF APPEARANCE:

    Tight, dark and glossy clusters with visible tips

  • AROMA:

    Wild forest honey, autumn fruits, cacao nibs

  • LIQUOR:

    Amber-terracotta

  • TASTE:

    Dried apricots, roast carob, peat smoke

THE ART OF PREPARATION

LUYEH RED OOLONG TEA

  • 2 TPS

  • 90ºC

  • 3 MINS

  • THREE STEEPS

This is our recommended brewing guide, but by all means adjust to your own taste.

  1. Warm your teapot and cups with boiling water.
  2. Discard the water and add two level teaspoons of tea to your pot.
  3. Add 200ml / 7oz water (i.e. one teacup or small mug) at 90°C / 194°F. If you don't have a thermometer, let the boiled kettle sit for four minutes.
  4. Place the lid on the pot and steep for three minutes. Stir, then strain the tea into your cup.
  5. To re-steep the leaves, repeat steps 3–5 (up to three times).
Makes one cup. For more, add an extra teaspoon per person and multiply the amount of water accordingly.
Always use freshly-drawn and, where possible, filtered water.

Customer Reviews

Based on 4 reviews
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M
Mary A
Very pleasing aroma and flavour

Excellent Tea. Very pleasing aroma and flavour. The bitter woody taste combined with the body creates a balanced and comforting experience. This is a great pick.

R
Reiss
Really good tea

Really enjoyed this tea, it has an aroma like fruit filled baked goods fresh from the oven.

M
Marcel Karcer
A very solid and enjoyable tea!

This “Luyeh Red” oolong comes with a beautiful description card explaining the origin, makers and processing style of this tea. It’s made on Taiwan’s east coast and surprisingly consists of a blend of Spring and Winter. The size of the rolled nuggets is rather small but very consistent. It’s definitely a beautifully looking tea, and it has a great toasty fruity, almost punchy caramelly smell.
“Luyeh Red” oolong via Galerie du Thé is from Taiwan’s east coast and represents a well established style common in the area of Taitung. The first infusions are very sweet and at the same time intense and thick. I would say that it really reminds me of jaggery (Indian natural cane sugar) with hints of caramel, slightly roasted flavours and a hint of spice (maybe even ginger) in the finish. The soup is quite thick and really covers the mouth and teeth.

I think this kind of tea is perfect for persuading non-tea-drinkers of the great taste of tea ( when I had my own tea shop some time ago, this kind was our “tea pitch”). You could compare it to a southern italian Primitivo (Zinfandel), a very solid red wine, full bodied, simple yet with powerful flavor. This Red Oolong has first some very strong caramel, almost fruity notes (I described it as Jaggery), with hints of wood. Later infusions go more into the malty direction without ever being bitter or too dark. A very solid and enjoyable tea!

D
David Jenkins
Great tasting tea

Thank you Galerie du Thé for this great tea