As I was digging through Tea Mountain (a.k.a. what used to be the bottom of my closet), I unearthed a few more teas that Fong Mong had sent me to review in the winter of 2018. Thanks for the samples, and I apologize for taking so long to get to them.
As my previous reviews have made clear, bug-bitten teas are my jam, so I was eager to try this roasted version. I steeped 6 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 195F for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.
Dry, the dark green leaves smell like roast, honey, and faint florals. In the first steep, the roast is surprisingly subtle, and honey, floral, grain, and stonefruit notes are present. If I didn’t know better, I’d say this was a Dong Ding. The honey, peachy, and roasted grain notes become even clearer in the next couple steeps, as does a drying sensation in the mouth. There are also hints of nuts, wood, minerals, and char.
By steep five, the honey starts to fade into the background and the Dong Ding-like nuttiness and roast take over. Later steeps are full of minerals, walnut, and roast, but are still sweet and enjoyable.
I loved the honey, nutty, and stonefruit flavours in this tea, although I wish the fruit had stuck around a bit longer. The roast was a little strong for my liking, but it was never overpowering. This is a solid, comforting tea that I’m glad I was able to try.
Flavors: Char, Floral, Grain, Honey, Mineral, Nutty, Peach, Roasted, Stonefruit, Walnut, Wood
