Rose Red ( 玫紅茶, Méi Hóng Chá, "Rose Red Tea") It is not our custom here at West China Tea to carry a lot of scented and/or blended teas. Not that there is anything wrong with scented tea per se, but our tastes tend more towards showcasing the character of the tea itself, and other ingredients can often overwhelm the subtle nuances of the leaf. For us to consider carrying such teas, they have to be traditional blends, such as jasmine, dried citrus peel, or sticky rice leaf, that are commonly consumed in China; the tea and herbs they are made from have to be of exceptional quality in and of themselves; and lastly the addition of the herb has to complement and enhance the character of the tea without covering it up.
Rose Red checks all of the above boxes. The producer, Heng Yi, is a Sichuanese tea master who specializes in making tea from the wild tea plants of his hometown of Mabian. I've known him more than a decade and his dedication to his craft, respect for the plants, and striving to continually improve his technique are impeccable. In the time that I've known him I've never seen him blend his tea with any other plants. When he told us that he had just created a new rose red tea, we knew it had to be exceptional, and we were not disappointed. The rose and the wild Sichuanese red tea bring out the lychee notes in each other, creating a harmonious and warm, feminine fragrance and intoxicating qi.