Gamma Ray Tea Coin (紫芽紅幣, Zǐ Yá Hóng Bì, "Purple Bud Red Coin") - For many years one of our most beloved and classic teas has been Ultra Violet, the sun-dried red tea produced from the purple-leaf Zi Juan varietal of Yunnan tea plants. Widely regarded as one of the best "party teas," it has a strong somatic energy that makes people want to dance and socialize. Gamma Ray can be thought of as a powered-up version of Ultra Violet - both are Nannuo mountain sun-dried red teas, but whereas Ultra Violet is made from the cloned Zi Juan plants, Gamma Ray is made from the seed-propagated mutant purple Zi Ya plants that are used to make Wild Purple. While not being as purple in color, the Zi Ya plants are much more potent energetically. The combination of warm red energy from the oxidation and the intense electric Qi of these "Wild Purple" plants has given this tea the nickname "Carnival Ride Tea" at the West China Tea House. Not for the faint of heart, the sweet, earthy, fruity red liquor belies a rush of body-centered Qi that can be overwhelming to sensitive individuals. For anyone who has struggled to feel the "Qi" of tea before, a session of Gamma Ray might just do the trick. We named this tea Gamma Ray because of its relationship to Ultra Violet - Gamma Rays are a higher-frequency waveform than Ultraviolet light on the electromagnetic spectrum.
This tea coin includes 7g of pressed tea. The base color of the wrapper is red, indicating that it is a Red Tea. The ring and bat are indigo, indicating that this tea is made from Zǐ Yá 紫芽 ("Purple Bud") leaves.
3 Reviews
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Rich beautiful tea
I am not someone who often leaves reviews but this deserves one. The tea is rich and full of flavor. I got a good amount of steeps from the leaves which opened nicely. I ordered these during the holidays and they showed up only a week later, nicely packaged. I would recommend this shop whole heartedly.
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Yesssssiir!
SO deliciously rich (in body, taste, and aroma) from the first infusion to the last, yet never slips into garishness. A tea that, even in the most casual of tea sessions, will naturally coax your guest into noticing it. Everyone's different, the Qi for me was definitely stimulating (sustained a loooong late night convo of 3 with no problem) though it definitely remained gentle, nothing too forceful on the body. Without a doubt will get more of this tea and recommend everyone has a few coins for when they wanna brew something approachable, yet still surprising, complex and activating for a new tea curious person.
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What a journey!
Gamma Ray Hong Cha, the tea that will make you wanna smack every mama within a 500-mile radius - on foot, because you can with the way the qi hits the bloodstream. You wanna growl with the lions? Soar with the eagles? How about belly dancing with a grizzly in the morning sun while your family is terrified for their lives sitting in a tent that took you three tries to put together? Well, sip you a little Gamma Ray; it tastes like fresh fruits and honey - honey forged by a T. Rex who drank so much Gamma Ray that it thought it was a bee.
