Australia Arakai Spring 'Premium' Black Tea

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Black Tea Leaves
Flavors
Almond, Blueberry, Bread, Brown Sugar, Butter, Cream, Earth, Grapes, Grass, Honey, Lemon Zest, Malt, Mineral, Moss, Orange Zest, Peanut, Pear, Plum, Raspberry, Red Apple, Straw, Sweet Potatoes
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by eastkyteaguy
Average preparation
6 g 4 oz / 118 ml

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  • “Okay, now we’re going from the first Australian tea I ever tried to the second. This was actually the first Australian tea I ever received, though I did not pay for it. It was provided as a free...” Read full tasting note
    89

From What-Cha

A very floral and gentle tasting black tea with smooth sweet tones of stone fruit, evocative of the more highly oxidised Balhyocha teas of Korea.

A limited edition tea of which only 1kg was purchased and will not be repurchased until the new harvest in October 2019.

Sourced direct from Arakai Estate, a small family run estate estate in Australia who have only just started commercial tea production having planted their first tea plants back in 2012. Although Arakai exclusively use Japanese cultivars, they have drawn inspiration from Taiwanese processing techniques and their tea as a result exhibits unique characteristics with notes reminiscent of both Japanese and Taiwanese teas.

Arakai’s dedication to producing unique high quality tea has already seen them win awards for best Australian green tea and best overall green tea and best Australian black tea in the Golden Leaf Awards.

Tasting Notes:
- Brilliant floral aroma and smooth texture
- Sweet taste with stone fruit notes

Harvest: Spring (1st picking), mid October 2018
Altitude: 580m
Cultivar: Blend of Meiryoku, Okumidori, Yutakamidori and Fushin
Origin: Arakai Estate, Bellthorpe, Queensland, Australia
Farmer: Brendon Collins
Sourced: Direct from the farmer
Percentage of price going back to the farmer: 35%+

Brewing Advice:
- Heat water to roughly 95°C/203°F
- Use 1-2 teaspoons per cup/small teapot
- Brew for 2-3 minutes

Packaging: Resealable ziplock bag

About What-Cha View company

Company description not available.

1 Tasting Note

89
1048 tasting notes

Okay, now we’re going from the first Australian tea I ever tried to the second. This was actually the first Australian tea I ever received, though I did not pay for it. It was provided as a free sample with one of my What-Cha orders from either late 2019 or early 2020, and I figured that I may was well order some of the other Australian teas What-Cha was stocking for comparison’s sake. I was impressed by how pleasant and smooth this tea was, though I also noted that it faded very quickly.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a quick rinse (about 5 seconds), I steeped 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 fluid ounces of 203 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was followed by 15 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and 5 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves produced aromas of honey, malt, baked bread, blueberry, black raspberry, plum, and red grape. After the rinse, I detected new aromas of roasted almond, roasted peanut, butter, and sweet potato. The first infusion added aromas of chocolate and straw. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of malt, straw, cream, butter, baked bread, honey, roasted peanut, and roasted almond that were chased by hints of sweet potato, pear, red grape, and plum. The bulk of the subsequent infusions introduced aromas of orange zest, moss, earth, minerals, and grass. Stronger and more immediately apparent notes of pear, plum, and red grape emerged in the mouth alongside impressions of blueberry, black raspberry, earth, minerals, orange zest, lemon zest, moss, grass, red apple, and brown sugar. As the tea faded, the liquor continued to emphasize notes of minerals, earth, malt, grass, straw, roasted peanut, and roasted almond that were chased by fleeting hints of red apple, red grape, baked bread, honey, and brown sugar.

Though this was not the most complex or most durable black tea I have ever tried, it was definitely one of the smoothest and most approachable. It was aromatic and flavorful but also very gentle and did not overwhelm with its energy. While it may have been a slight disappointment immediately after trying the highly unique and memorable Arakai Spring Premium Green Tea, this was still a very high quality offering that was tremendously likable. Had it been a little more complex and not faded quite as quickly, it would have been a true knockout.

Flavors: Almond, Blueberry, Bread, Brown Sugar, Butter, Cream, Earth, Grapes, Grass, Honey, Lemon Zest, Malt, Mineral, Moss, Orange Zest, Peanut, Pear, Plum, Raspberry, Red Apple, Straw, Sweet Potatoes

Preparation
6 g 4 OZ / 118 ML

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