Tea Review: Cinnamon Rock Tea (Cha Le)

Cinnamon Rock
Cha Le Tea Cafe
Type: Oolong
Origin: China, Fujian Province
Product Description: 

Grown semi-wild in rock cracks high on a mountain in the Fujian Province, this woody oolong tea expresses a cinnamon-like flavour. Tea from the other side of the same mountain, Narcissus Rock Tea, has a floral flavour profile reminiscent of narcissus blossoms.

Temperature: 195-208° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 2-3 minutes

The dry leaves have an aroma of smoke and fire-seared wood with notes of pepper and an underlying sweetness.

The dark red liquor has a smoky aroma with cinnamon and pepper notes and a hint of stone fruit.  The taste is roasty and mildly smoky with a hint of sweetness and a smoky cinnamon finish.

A friend kindly gave me a sample of this rou gui purchased during a visit to Cha Le a couple years ago.  It aged a bit before I had the opportunity to taste it so some of the original nuance is missing, though I'm sure a re-roasting will revive it nicely.  Steeping for 3 minutes at 208° F produced a dark liquor with heavy notes of smoke.  Results were more nuanced with a 2 minute infusion at 195° F and I especially enjoyed the smoother and sweeter third infusion at this temperature.

Unfortunately, Cha Le Tea Cafe closed for business in September 2019.

This tea was received as a gift from a third party.

Cha Le Tea Cafe

Cha Le closed for business in September 2019.

Cha Le,which takes its name rather appropriately from the Mandarin for "Happy Tea", has been serving tea in Vancouver's Yaletown since February 2017.  The tea room, owned by Sue Wang and Charlie Zhang, is located on the corner of Hamilton Street and Davie Street.

The tea room interior is modern and bright with seating at tables and along the tea bar.  Service during my late-evening visit was friendly and welcoming.

Cha Le offers a broad selection of loose leaf white, green, oolong, black, and puerh teas and tisanes to take home or to be prepared in-house.  In addition to loose teas, the cafe menu includes fruit teas, tea lattes, cheese teas, kombucha, boba milk teas, and cold brew coffee.  If you're feeling a bit hungry, their menu also includes an intriguing variety of sweet or savory toasts.  

A central feature of the tea room is the row of Alpha Dominche Steampunk tea brewers.  After seeing a Steampunk demonstration at World Tea Expo a few years ago it was a delight to see them in use in a practical setting.  

Unfortunately, Alpha Dominche went out of business shortly after my visit, so these brewers will eventually need to be replaced, hopefully with something similarly engaging and in line with the modern cafe setting.  

For this visit, I selected the Roasted Oolong Latte and enjoyed watching my tea go through the brewing process.  My tea was served in a mug made by local ceramicist Rachel Saunders which added a nice, personalized touch to the experience.

  

Address:
1207 Hamilton St, Vancouver, BC V6B 6K3

Hours:
Monday-Saturday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Closed Sunday