Sweet Black Gulou

Our trip to China was up to Gulou in Hunan Province. It turns out that we were the first western tea buyers to visit this hidden valley, about four hours south of Changsha. As we rounded our way up the river valley, the air got fresher, and we got more excited. We stopped at the factory owned by Mrs. Xiao. She has run it for the last 13 years and built a beautiful garden that makes great tea. We were impressed with the body and sweetness of this tea. These traits come from the umami found in the young tea leaves. The tea is rolled and dried in ovens to preserve its sweetness.