This tea shares its origin with our Formosa Water Sprite Black but tells a completely different story, one shaped by the transformative art of charcoal roasting. It's a complete metamorphosis achieved through fire and time. The Shui Xian cultivar, known as 'Water Narcissus,' is a rarity in Taiwan. At Spirit Tea, we classify it as "non-native" (meaning it wasn't developed by Taiwan's tea research station) but brought from mainland China. This unusual terroir makes it all the more special. The magic happens during the charcoal roasting process, which demonstrates the Maillard browning effect beautifully. Heat works on the tea's amino acids and polyphenols, transforming them into something altogether sweeter and more complex, almost confection like. Where our Water Sprite Black highlights bright citrus and squash notes, the roasting over lychee charcoal condenses those aromatics into something richer and darker.
