Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: golden buds
Water Temperature: 185 degrees
Steep Time: 20 seconds
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Liquor: reddish amber
This Dian Hong comes from Fengqing County in China’s Yunnan Province. Dian is a short name for this region. Hong means red, and it refers to the Chinese color name for this type of tea. It was grown at an elevation of 2200 meters above sea level and harvested on April 8, 2024. Teavivre’s website lists it as being made with the Feng No.7 cultivar, which is one I had not heard of before. Let’s get into it!
Leaf
The dry leaves of Teavivre Dian Hong Jin Zhen were beautifully plump needles covered in downy golden hairs. They almost looked orange under certain lighting. I noticed an earthy, sweet aroma when I opened the sample packet. For this review, I prepared this tea gongfu style in a porcelain gaiwan using Teavivre’s recommended brewing parameters. My water was 185℉ with a starting infusion time of 20 seconds. That was gradually increased across the session.
Liquor
Teavivre Dian Hong Jin Zhen brewed up a reddish amber liquor. I was able to see tons of trichomes floating in my cup. The taste was malty and sweet with notes of honey and sweet potato. There was also a faint rose-like floral hint in the background. Black tea can be drying at times, but this one noticeably made my mouth water after each sip. Full boiling water is my go-to for black teas, but the lower temperature helped highlight some of those nuances.
There was some astringency, though it never became bitter or unpleasant. It was mellow but not dull or weak by any means. This is a tea that is fun to gongfu because it subtly changes from infusion to infusion. The first two rounds were relatively light, but the third infusion was where it really started to pick up steam. This tea strikes me as a good one to start the day off with grounding energy rather than a punchy kick like you might get from a breakfast-style blend.
Have you ever tried Teavivre Dian Hong Jin Zhen? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments below!
Dian Hong Jin Zhen sample provided for review by Teavivre.
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