Central Taiwan’s Sun Moon Lake region has a long history of making black tea (known in Chinese as hongcha, literally “red tea”) from the hongyu varietal. Black teas can also be found occasionally in regions producing primarily oolong teas. Available now is a tieguanyin black from Muzha.

The big leaf puer is a “wild” loose leaf tea reputedly made from leaves picked from full grown, old growth tea trees. The leaves themselves are large and open slowly during brewing. This tea will produce many infusions, and keeps going even if the leaves are left in the pot overnight. The flavor is consistently smooth with a woody aroma and sweet finish, in contrast to the small leaf puer which finishes dry.