Dark Oolong for a dark hour

Despite the title of this article, this isn't a Chaxi devoted to the movie about Winston Churchill. In my previous article I found inspiration in a book by Alexandre Dumas and I could also do one about Chuchill. The last lion, Winston Spencer Churchill Alone, by William Manchester, is one of the few books I brought along when I moved to Taiwan in 1996... For a Churchillian Chaxi I would definitely use my teapot with a painted lion that dates back to a different time!

But this Chaxi is literally and simply about a tea after sunset. Chinese New Year is approaching and the cold outside temperatures require some red color and fire to warm us up here in Taipei. That's also why I chose a roasted Oolong (from Wuyi) for this special Chaxi since I'm using charcoal to heat the water in my silver kettle..

A small Yixing zhuni teapot from the 1980s is perfect for this tea. 

The clarity and purity of this tea is simply amazing.

I get to use my celadon ewer when I'm using charcoal, because it's faster not to fill the kettle to the top, but adding enough water for each brew.

Once the Nilu is up to speed with the glowing charcoal, the water comes quickly to a boil again. The trick is that it's the kettle to should generate steam while the charcoal shouldn't smoke.

The result is that we are transported back in time to ancient China with this traditional tea and accessories.

And now I feel so warm that I'm taking off my jacket! A good roasted Oolong will make you feel warm...