This company carries a version of this tea every year, and the one I’m drinking is from 2018. I love unsmoked Lapsang Souchongs and this tea came highly recommended. I steeped 6 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot using boiling water for 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.
The dry aroma of these long, curly leaves is of lychee, pineapple, tart fruit, malt, and flowers. The first steep is extraordinarily fruity and smooth, with flavours of lychee, pineapple, raspberry, cranberry, flowers, malt, grass, and chocolate. Baked bread, orchids, and a stronger pineapple flavour emerge in steep two, and there’s a floral and lemon/pineapple aftertaste. The lemon becomes more pronounced in steeps three and four, joining the tropical fruit, tart, and malty profile of the tea. Orange and wood appear in the fifth steep. By steep seven, the malt starts getting stronger and some tannins appear, but the pineapple, lychee, and raspberry persist. The end of the session sees more tannins, malt, minerals, earth, and still, gloriously, those pineapple and lychee notes.
Aside from the 2019 Yuchi Assam from What-Cha, this is, hands down, the best black tea I’ve had this year. It’s fruity, complex, smooth, long lasting, approachable, and surprisingly affordable for its quality at around $13 for 30 grams. (I know this isn’t exactly cheap, but did I mention how awesome this tea is?) Drinking it has been a high point in a somewhat lousy month. I’m not sure why TheTea.pl hasn’t gotten more press, but I think many of their teas are amazing. Some of their oolongs are too roasted for my palate, but others, like this one, have the fruity, floral notes I love.
Flavors: Bread, Chocolate, Cranberry, Earth, Floral, Grass, Lemon, Lychee, Malt, Mineral, Orange, Orchid, Pineapple, Raspberry, Smooth, Tannin, Tart, Wood
Preparation
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My mouth is watering!
Yes, it’s fantastic! I’m sure it would be good cold brewed as well, but I don’t want to do that to such a pricy tea. The vendor also suggested bowl brewing it, and I can see how that would work since the tea has hardly any bitterness.
I’m with you and the cold brew. I save my not so stellar teas for that, figuring the coldness will mute what I didn’t care for when the tea was hot. I am not familiar with TheTea; I’ll keep my eye on their offering.
Agreed. I tend not to cold brew tea because it requires a lot of leaf, but when I do, I use teas I don’t mind getting rid of. You should definitely check out TheTea.pl, especially if you like Taiwanese and Wuyi oolongs. They also have Andrzej Bero teaware sometimes, if that matters to you.
Thanks Leafhopper! : )
I’ve had my eye on TheTea over the past year. Looks like I’ll have to try them for my next order. That Taiwan Yuchi Assam and Tong Mu zhengshan xiaozhong are two of my favorite black teas, too :)
I also have the Yuchi Assam, though I haven’t tried it yet. I’ve liked most things I’ve bought from this company and would recommend them.
That sounds lovely indeed and the company seems to carry some interesting teas. Do you know what are their shipping charges (to Canada)?
The last time I ordered from them, their shipping to Canada was around $6.50 USD.
What’s their name again? I’ve been having a hard time finding TheTea
Tong Mu’s are one of my favorites, too. Where can I find TheTea? I haven’t been able to look them up as easily as I would think.
Daylon-It’s a Polish website. https://thetea.pl/en/
Daylon-It’s TheTea.pl – A Polish website/vendor.
My mouth is watering!
Yes, it’s fantastic! I’m sure it would be good cold brewed as well, but I don’t want to do that to such a pricy tea. The vendor also suggested bowl brewing it, and I can see how that would work since the tea has hardly any bitterness.
I’m with you and the cold brew. I save my not so stellar teas for that, figuring the coldness will mute what I didn’t care for when the tea was hot. I am not familiar with TheTea; I’ll keep my eye on their offering.
Agreed. I tend not to cold brew tea because it requires a lot of leaf, but when I do, I use teas I don’t mind getting rid of. You should definitely check out TheTea.pl, especially if you like Taiwanese and Wuyi oolongs. They also have Andrzej Bero teaware sometimes, if that matters to you.
Thanks Leafhopper! : )
I’ve had my eye on TheTea over the past year. Looks like I’ll have to try them for my next order. That Taiwan Yuchi Assam and Tong Mu zhengshan xiaozhong are two of my favorite black teas, too :)
I also have the Yuchi Assam, though I haven’t tried it yet. I’ve liked most things I’ve bought from this company and would recommend them.
That sounds lovely indeed and the company seems to carry some interesting teas. Do you know what are their shipping charges (to Canada)?
The last time I ordered from them, their shipping to Canada was around $6.50 USD.
What’s their name again? I’ve been having a hard time finding TheTea
Tong Mu’s are one of my favorites, too. Where can I find TheTea? I haven’t been able to look them up as easily as I would think.
Daylon-It’s a Polish website. https://thetea.pl/en/
Daylon-It’s TheTea.pl – A Polish website/vendor.