Why Roast A Tea?

Roasted teas have one of the most ‘love it or leave it’ flavor profiles of any style of tea. Strong, rich and undeniably ‘toasted’ flavors are the name of game for these teas in their up front presentation. This is especially true for the badly roasted teas, which can be a no-go for many. The depth and breadth of flavors that tickle the palette produced by a brew that is prepared an expert roaster can be pretty wonderful however.

Why Roast a Tea?

The proper reason is to introduce complexity, depth and longevity to an already beautifully produced tea. Unfortunately the usual reason is to make a terrible tea mediocre and sellable. When most people claim they don't like roasted teas, it is usually due to the second reason.

Many traditional and historical tea making styles in Taiwan have included a mid to heavy roast. This is mostly due to resulting added longevity roasting give to a finished tea, especially in the past without modern packaging for quality longevity. With no vacuum sealed pouches, desiccant sacks, or refrigeration roasting a tea made sure that the quality of a tea would not degrade over time. In fact, when stored correctly, roasted teas tend to get better with age!

Dong Ding and Muzha are the most famous areas for this style of tea and we have a bunch of options from these areas. 

Electric Vs Charcoal Roast

Like so many things in life, the difference between these two styles of roast come down to skill and convenience. Electric roasts are much easier to do and can create gorgeous teas. Charcoal roasts are much, much harder to do and can make some of the highest quality tea on the market. Turning a dial vs 'the right amount of charcoal fired for the right amount of time covered in the right amount of rice husks the right distance from the tea for the right amount of time etc etc. The skill of charcoal roasting alone is equivalent to all the other skills involved in making tea and is very rare. 

The taste profiles of the two types of roasting are easy to identify. Charcoal roasted teas have stronger, more noticeable ‘roasted’ flavor profile while electric roasts can be more subtle and complex. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, but in general electric roasted teas are easier to appreciate and their roasted flavors can be less over powering. Charcoal roasted teas on the other hand, are strong and unforgettable with deep, complex flavor profiles that you can only get with tea placed above glowing coals. Both have their fans but it is best to start with electric roasts if you are new to the genre.

Where To Start

If you have never tried or enjoyed roasted teas, our classic electric roasted Old Master Dong Ding is the best place to start for sure. It is a middle roast and the very best roasted tea we have on the site. If you want to try a heavy roast, the electric roasted Golden Muzha Tieguanyin is an accessible and pleasant place to try a rich, dark, heavily roasted tea. For a beginner charcoal roasted tea, the lightly roasted Acacia Charcoal Roast Milk Oolong is a great one to try. The charcoal body is there but not too much that it is overwhelming. If you want to try a rich, deep and strongly complex charcoal roast, the Dragon's Eye Muzha Tieguanyin is the favorite of many!