Wild Tea Qi Jin Jun Mei
Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: small, dark and twisted with lots of golden tips Ingredients: black tea Steep time: 30 seconds Water Temperature: 212 degrees Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan Liquor: dark amber Jin Jun Mei has become quite a trendy (and expensive) black tea in recent years. It is made from the same tea varieties in the Wuyi region of China as the traditional Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong. You might also know it as Lapsang Souchong. The major difference is that the tea is not smoked and there is an emphasis on golden tips being present in the dry leaf. Except for the fact that this one from +Wild Tea Qi is smoked…tea is…
Wild Tea Qi Black Needle Pagoda Tea
Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: dark with gold tips Ingredients: black tea Steep time: 30 seconds Water Temperature: 212 degrees Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan Liquor: deep reddish brown I have to admit to being a bit obsessed with this tea long before actually having the opportunity to drink it. That pagoda shape is just too cool! Being a Yunnan black tea, I knew that it would be right up my alley. Each individual pagoda was about 1.5g so I used two in my gaiwan. The taste was complex yet surprisingly light at the same time. Up front there were notes of chocolate that transitioned into a fruity sweetness that brought to mind…
Wild Tea Qi Moonlight Buds
Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: large, jade green Ingredients: white tea Steep time: 30 seconds Water Temperature: 200 degrees Preparation Method: glass gaiwan Liquor: very pale I’m a huge fan of +Wildteaqi‘s “moonlight” white teas so it surprised me when I found that I hadn’t drank this sample yet. Their Ancient Moonlight White and Ancient White Bud Bar are among some of my all time favorites. The large buds of this tea were so beautiful that I just had to brew them in a glass gaiwan. The taste started out extremely light but left an incredibly aromatic after effect. If you aren’t used to drinking subtle teas, you might not pick up much at…
Wild Tea Qi Artisan Yunnan Black Needle
Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: needle shaped, lots of golden tips Ingredients: black tea Steep time: 5 minutes Water Temperature: 212 degrees Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan Liquor: deep reddish brown My biggest soft spot is probably Yunnan black teas, especially pretty ones with lots of gold. They’re the teas that make me relax and say “Ahhh…” as soon as I take my first sip. That’s exactly what happened with this handmade selection from +Wildteaqi. Notes of burnt sugar (a la crème brûlée) and cacao accompanied a really nice malty element. I did at least six infusions before the flavor started to fade. Even then, it was still pretty darned tasty. The mouth-feel was…
Wild Tea Qi Artisan Golden Tips
Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: wiry, covered in golden hair Ingredients: black tea Steep time: 30 seconds Water Temperature: 212 degrees Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan Liquor: amber What can I say, I’m a sucker for tippy golden teas from Yunnan. They’re so fluffy! This particular tea was comprised completely of golden fleecy buds. The taste was mellow yet complex with sweet notes of cacao, honey and a hint of fruitiness. This is definitely a tea that deserves to be gongfu’d. It yielded at least six consecutive brews and probably could have gone on further. The taste was slightly different but I was reminded very much Verdant Tea’s Golden Fleece. The two teas…
Wild Tea Qi Wild Purple Bud Puer Tea
Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: large buds, varied shades of green and purple Ingredients: puerh tea Steep time: 30 seconds Water Temperature: 212 degrees Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan Liquor: pale gold I’ve been wanting to try this offering from +Wildteaqi for some time. When I shared a picture of the unusual leaves on Instagram and Twitter, several people asked me if it was the same as Silver Buds Yabao from Verdant Tea. My photography skills and lighting were poor but I can confirm that this is definitely a different tea. The taste was sweet, mild and just vaguely reminiscent of what I would expect from a raw puerh. Although mellow, it was not lacking…
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