Don't all great days start with a late night text the day prior, going something like "Hey, do you want some mead?" 

That certainly to be the case with one of the island's covert mead makers, one who never fails to astound us with the likes of a Fried Chicken mead, rambutan melomel's, banana chocolate, and much more.

And trust me when I say, he never fails to go over the top - this time with what is labelled in aggressive red letterings "Fire Bat" - the sort you'd expect on the fence of a restricted area, pretty much the default font for spray painted letterings when it comes to anything that might grievously harm you.

But that this is a smoked tea mead has me intrigued. I do love "smoked" and I do love "tea" - so note to my own palate: "You best be ready for this". 

If you thought the name "Fire Bat" wasn't enough of a deterrent, just check out the bamboo wrappings that the tea comes in.

As for the name itself, "Fire Bat" is actually the name of the aged Pu'er tea used for the mead, as supplied by white2tea. The Fire Bat tea is a blend of Yunnan raw Pu'er tea that's sent to a smokehouse in Tongmuguan village in the Fujian Province to be pine smoked by a veteran Lapsang smoker. The tea is smoked for three days at temperatures ranging from 100 to 120 degrees Celsius, in an old style Lapsang smokehouse. The tea used here was pressed in 2020, making it about 4 years old at the point it was used for the mead.

Tea harvesting in Yunnan.

And so as I make sure to up my insurance coverage to the highest possible tier for my palate, I swing on over to the dropzone where JYFoxMazer (as he prefers to be known publicly) tells me to wait on a Sunday afternoon to pick up the Fire Bat.

We're not told much other than what's on the label that says "Raw Pu'er Tea smoked in a Lapsang Smokehouse and fermented with raw New Zealand Bush Honey, Dehydrated Lemon Slices, Lime Zest and Lime Juice. Hot Fermented with Kveik Voss."

Now tell me honestly, where have you ever heard of such a recipe? What mind can conceive such a creation?

Let's give this a go!

Fire Bat Smoked Tea Mead, 12.5% ABV - Review

Tasting Notes

Aroma: On the nose, you get two brackets of aromas - one that is floral and one that is smoked and caramelised. On the floral bracket, freeze-dried chrysanthemum tea granules, more specifically, the thick settled layer of pollen at the bottom of a manuka honey jar, and occasionally, pops of bright, orange blossom water. On the charred, smoky side, you get aged pu'er tea, smoked wood chips, a freshly extinguished charcoal flame, and at times, burnt marshmallows. Beneath the charred aromas, you do get a tea-leaf aroma, one that reminds me of spent Tie Guan Ying tea. Giving the glass an aggressive swirl, a release of aromas of clementine pulp, dried apricots, and peach gum.

Taste: It's a little nippy at first - some warm up is probably for the best. Given how sweet and floral the mead is on the nose, you'd expect thick honey flavours - instead, after letting the palate warm up to the flavours, I find boiled Asian pear soup, grilled green apples, barbecue smoke as well a lacto-fermented chili sauce sort of spiciness. On subsequent sips, there's more sweetness on the palate, this time more so to the tune of the fleshy pome flavours of a dry cider and dried chrysanthemum flowers.

Finish: Interestingly, the zappy, fiery flavours do take its exit rather early, leaving a smoky, thick coating on the palate in the finish. I would describe it as having had a light puff of a Camel cigarette, eating a heavily charred piece of long-roasted brisket, and the after-texture of a peated whisky all rolled into one experience. Amongst the smoky finish, you do get a satisfying, refreshing moreish-ness from sipping a hot cup of Chinese tea - that clean, aromatic mouthfeel that keeps you going for subsequent sips. There's a bit more honey characteristics here, like clear wildflower honey, although it remains an accent to the larger smoky and tea-like finish flavours. 

My Thoughts

What a ride! This mead was basically a trilogy in a glass - the nosing, taste and finish were complete separate chapters that felt like different stories altogether at some points. I really liked how rich the aromas for the mead was, in particular how you can get both the floral and smoky fragrances at the same time, and the finish was a whole textural experience.

Do be warned however, your palate might get burned at the first sip - give yourself a minute-long pause before diving back into the mead again. Interesting stuff! 

 

@vernoncelli