Rolling Thunder

Living Tea is honored to share our first private reserve Yunnan Red Tea cake. This tea comes from old-growth trees in Yiwu mountain. Yiwu is one of the original mountains where all tea was born, yielding an array of high-altitude tea gardens, both old-growth and eco-arboreal. Sweet, syrupy, bright and malty, this is one of the best Dian Hong red teas we've yet encountered. Rolling Thunder comes from first flush Spring 2019 Assamica tea leaves harvested from old-growth trees. The bright, crisp maroon liquor is steady for many brews, hydrating and nourishing, inspiring but not too invigorating. In many ways, this tea brightens the mind and mood. Complex and full-bodied with a traditional honey fragrance and flavor, Rolling Thunder creates strong sparkling sensations throughout the palate, which is one of the reasons for the name. The tea comes from healthy trees and feels very "alive." In this case, the oxidation rate is lower than many traditional red teas, which was intentional in order to maintain the energy of the old trees. The significant concentration of buds in the cakes is part of the reason for the enhanced honey flavors, especially in the later steepings. 

The name Rolling Thunder was chosen for three reasons: 1) The sensations throughout the mouth, and the energy of the tea in general. 2) The 1974 book by Doug Boyd about his profound experience with the medicine man, Rolling Thunder. 3) The 1975-76 Bob Dylan tour wherein he visited smaller auditoriums in less populated cities to play for more intimate audiences. This tour yielded the phenomenal album, Desire, and was named after Dylan's encounter with the medicine man Rolling Thunder. This encounter is detailed in the book.