Suan Gan Cha, Aged Oolong in Pomelo from Taiwan (2013). Aging tea in fruits is very traditional in Taiwan. There, people use Pomelo, although it is sometimes called a Chinese grapefruit. Like the grapefruit it is distantly related to, the pomelo is a very large citrus fruit with thick skin and membranes. The Pomelo is sometimes stuffed with tea, bound with wire or string, and then dried, infusing the aging tea with a unique flavor.
Our Aged Oolong in Pomelo is quite hard and has a slightly citrusy/dusty scent lingering about it. Suan Gan Cha is made by first scooping out the flesh of the pomelo. After packing the empty shell with a mixture of oolong tea, the pomelo is steamed and compressed several times before being stored for aging. This cycle of processing takes about two months to complete.
During the processing and aging, the taste and aroma of the pomelo are infused into the oolong tea, giving the brewed tea a unique flavour.