Bought this partially to compare to their Nonpareil Da Hong Pao. While this is not as good as their Nonpareil Da Hong Pao it’s not at all bad. It is more heavily roasted than the other but not too potently roasted. The roast flavor was strong for the first three or four steeps and then got milder. There is a fruity note behind the roast, kind of a smoked fruity note but definitely there. The only real problem I have this tea was that I had to buy a lot of it. They only sell it in 250g quantities. The price is quite good at $36.98. I don’t think the leaves were low quality leaves with extra roasting. That is just my impression though.
I brewed this six times in a 120ml gaiwan with 8.6g leaf and 200 degree water. I gave it a 10 second rinse. I steeped it for 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, and 20 sec. I’m sure I could get more steepings out of the leaves if I wanted to continue. The tea wasn’t done at six steepings.
Flavors: Fruity, Roasted
