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Cameron B. drank Guangdong Big Leaves Mao Feng Black Tea by What-Cha

4180 tasting notes

Whew, spent a lot of time in kitchen today (and there’s more to come), so it’s nice to sit down and relax with a hot mug of tea. I chose this one to try because it was the first black tea I saw in my What-Cha sample pile. And I’m happy that it was, because now that I think about it, a smooth Chinese black sounds particularly good. The leaves are fairly large and quite twisty, and a dark, warm chocolate brown in color. Dry scent is amazingly sweet with hay and molasses tones.

The steeped tea also smells quite sweet with molasses, honey, and raisin aromas. Mm, wow. This tea has such rich and deep flavor with a dark and comforting sweetness. There’s a bit of malt, but the main flavors I can taste are sweet and rich molasses, a touch of tobacco, and some syrupy, sweet dried fruits such as fig and date. Also some raisin perhaps. Dark and delicious! I would recommend this one to any fruity black tea lover.

Flavors: Dates, Fig, Hay, Honey, Malt, Molasses, Raisins, Smooth, Sweet, Tobacco

Preparation

200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron!

I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- December sipdowns: 0
- Total 2024 sipdowns: 156

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing