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flowinversetea

Sun-Dried Red Tea (Shai Hong)

$10.99 USD
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HIGH-MOUNTAIN 1,100 M
SELENIUM-RICH SOIL
ENJOY HOT OR COLD
NATURALLY GROWN
HAND-PICKED
SINGLE ORIGIN
SEASONAL FIRST HARVESTS
PURE · NEVER BLENDED
Weight
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🌱 Village Cooperative
🚫 No Pesticides
🤲 Profit Sharing
🤝 Women-Owned

"Dry leaf smells like dried fruit and flowers before you even add water. A little mint underneath, like something you'd catch on a walk after rain."

This is a red tea finished by sun-drying instead of machine baking, a traditional step that keeps the leaf's aromatics lighter and more layered than a typically roasted red tea. Fruit-jam sweetness comes up front, violet and iris florals sit underneath, and a clean, cooling mint note runs through every steep. Nothing here is pushed toward roast or char. The leaf just gets to keep its brighter top notes.

Flavor profile

Fruit / Berry
80%
Floral (Violet / Iris)
65%
Mint / Cooling
55%
Woody
45%
Sweetness
70%

What happens in the cup

First steep

Honeyed nectar up front, soft violet and a whisper of powdery iris in the middle, a touch of citrus and berry, finishing on fresh wood with a cool mint edge. In the cup it's smooth, sweet, and mellow, with violet and iris leading, a little citrus-berry tang, then clean wood and mint on the finish.

Second steep

Quieter now. Soft violet with a faint sweetness, then a clean, herbal mint coolness, fading into dry wood as the berry note softens. Full-bodied on the palate, with real sweetness on the return, berry tang first, a little florals, then a settled woody finish with a cool herbal edge.

Third steep

Lower and quieter. Dry wood first, a soft trace of flowers and mint, then a warm, sun-dried grass note at the end. Fuller-bodied, wood deepens, a little floral and berry tang still there, finishing on warm, sun-cured herbs.

Who grew this tea

Made by June

Made from Yunnan-sourced leaf, a non-heirloom cultivar, as part of June's tea training practice. Hand-picked in spring 2026, then sun-dried rather than oven-finished, a slower method that lets the leaf keep its brighter top notes instead of pushing everything toward roast and char. Finished by June. [TBD: this is not a Wildbrook Village tea, garden/region not yet confirmed]

Perfect moments for this tea

🌧️
Right after rain
When the air's gone clean and everything outside feels lighter, this tea moves the same way. Light, clear, a little cool. Good for right after a walk, or the moment you open a window.
☀️
Hot weather
For when something too light won't cut it. It's cooling without being thin. There's still structure and layers under the mint. Good for summer, muggy days, a stuffy room.
✍️
Quiet, focused work
When you want a little space to think, not a push. It doesn't pull your attention. It just makes your thoughts move a little more freely. Good for writing, sketching out ideas, quiet focused work.

How to brew

3g
Leaf
3g per 90ml (1:27 ratio)
90°C
Water
195°F / 90°C
15s
Steep
First steep 15 seconds
+5s
Resteep
Add 5 seconds per round after

Keep the water off a full rolling boil. 195°F / 90°C protects the top notes that sun-drying preserves.

Specifications

HarvestSpring 2026
Elevation[TBD: not a Wildbrook garden tea]
CultivarYunnan tea cultivar (non-heirloom)
ProcessingHand-picked, withered, oxidized, sun-dried (not oven-finished)
FarmingNon-organic
Garden[TBD: Yunnan source, not Wildbrook Village]
Cups per 57g~19 cups (3g per session)
CaffeineModerate, typical of red/black tea

Common questions

What does sun-drying actually change?+
Most red tea gets finished with machine baking, which pushes the flavor toward roast and char. Sun-drying is slower and gentler, so the leaf holds onto its brighter top notes instead. That's why this tea reads fruity and floral first, with mint underneath, rather than the deeper roasted profile you'd expect from a typical red tea.
Why does the mint note show up?+
It's not an added ingredient. The cooling, herbal edge comes through naturally on the finish of every steep, underneath the fruit and florals. It's the note that carries through most consistently from the first steep to the third.
How many times can I steep this?+
Three steeps show clear, distinct character. The first is the sweetest and brightest, the second fills out and turns more herbal, and the third settles into dry wood and warm, sun-cured grass. Add about 5 seconds to each steep after the first.
What's the best water temperature?+
195°F / 90°C, just under a full boil. Full boiling water can flatten the lighter top notes that sun-drying is meant to preserve, so pulling back slightly keeps the violet, iris, and mint clear instead of muddy.
$10.99