Charcoal Roasting
Charcoal roasting is the traditional method of roasting oolong in baskets over ash-covered charcoal embers, giving deeper, rounder flavor than electric ovens; it is prized for Wuyi rock tea.
Definition
Charcoal roasting (炭焙, tanbei) is the oldest form of tea roasting. Tea is spread in bamboo roasting baskets (beilong) set over pits or braziers of glowing charcoal. The coals are buried under a layer of ash to soften and even out the heat, and the roaster turns the leaf, checks its aroma and moves baskets between hotter and cooler positions over many hours. The method is most associated with the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian, where makers of yancha (rock tea) such as Da Hong Pao, Shui Xian and Rou Gui roast with charcoal made from longan wood. Charcoal-roasted Tieguanyin from Anxi and Dong Ding from Taiwan are also made this way. A batch typically goes through several rounds of roasting, separated by rests of days or weeks, so the heat penetrates evenly without scorching the outside of the leaf. Charcoal gives radiant, slow, penetrating heat. Makers and drinkers describe charcoal-roasted tea as rounder, deeper and longer-lasting than oven-roasted tea, with a warming, mineral quality and less of the flat, toasty dryness that a hard electric roast can leave. It is also labor-intensive and slow, which shows in the price.
In Depth
Buying: charcoal-roasted teas are often labeled tan bei or "charcoal roasted" and cost more than electric-roasted equivalents. Ask how many rounds the tea had and when it was last roasted. Most sellers rest the tea at least a few months before sale.
Brewing: 95-100°C (203-212°F), 5-8 g per 100 ml in a small gaiwan or clay teapot, with short steeps of 10-20 seconds at first. Heavily roasted Wuyi tea can give eight or more infusions. Preheat the vessel; roasted teas show best when the brew stays hot.
Common confusion: charcoal roasting does not make a tea smoky in the way Lapsang Souchong is smoky. A clean charcoal roast tastes of toast, caramel, dark fruit and minerals, not campfire smoke. Strong ash or smoke flavor usually means a fault.
See Also
- Wuyi Rock Tea
- Oolong Processing