I like for my first tea of the day to be an unflavored black. So as I reached into my unflavored black stash, I started to think about how lucky I am that I have SO MANY great teas to choose from. I have you guys to thank for that, because when I started my tea journey, I thought bad tea was good tea. But through the magic of Steepster people and traveling tea boxes, I have learned the difference between “trash” tea and the good stuff. I’m sure there is still more of that journey to be had, but today I was just getting the feels.
So anyway, this tea. I picked it mainly because yesterday I had a Chinese golden tip, and right next to it was this Ceylon golden tip, and I thought the first one was fresh enough in my mind that I could compare then well.
There is fairy dust here, and the tea smells great. It looks different though, this is more the little crescents that i have seen most in white teas (this is a black though) versus the twisty spider leg type of black that I expected, so that was interesting. The leaf is a bit lighter in color as well. One thing that surprised me is that the package suggested 185 as the temperature. Hmm…. well, Alistair knows best so I went with that.
My first sip seemed really low on flavor. But I think that is because I was expecting something huge and bold. The next sip, I found all of the flavors I was looking for. Malty, sweet, black, Yunnan-y. Beautifully smooth and understated, not a tiny bit bitter or astringent. Instead of a tea that knocks you over, this is a tea that waits quietly for you to turn around and notice it. But, I did notice it and it was great!
frack. I really need to place an order with these guys..
You and me both, Sil.