Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: small, dark with lots of golden tips
Ingredients: black tea
Steep time: 15 seconds
Water Temperature: 200 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Liquor: reddish amber
There’s nothing quite like a fine Chinese black tea and this one was an excellent example of that. The dry leaves were quite tiny in size and there were lots of fuzzy golden tips mixed throughout. The taste could only be described as an amalgamation (bet you thought you’d never see that word in a tea review) of some of my favorite teas. Throw together Keemun, Golden Yunnan and just a touch of a really fine Lapsang Souchong and that would probably give you an idea of the subtle complexity of this tea. It was earthy and sweet with heavy notes of chocolate. There was a hint of spicy smokiness but overall the finish was smooth without any bitterness. I did four or five consecutive infusions and definitely could have squeezed out a few more. Although you could steep this western style, it really won’t shine in quite the same way. Gaiwans or a gongfu sized teapot would be the way to go. And for heavens sake, don’t even think about adding anything to it!