Happy lazy summer Sunday everyone, it has definitely been one of those for me. I have spent the majority of my day sitting at my computer working on various things or watching Babylon 5 with Ben. It is one of those days where just being a lump was an option, and I was ok with that.
Today’s tea is another from Green Terrace Teas, Honey Black Tea, a naturally sweet black tea from Nantou, Taiwan. Well, I certainly like black teas that have sweet notes, so let us have a little bit of tea! The aroma of these long, curly, leaves is indeed quite sweet and very rich! There are notes of honey, beet root, roasted peanuts, tobacco, and a touch of roses. I am not sure I have ever sniffed a dry leaf that was so complex and had all the aromas work together in harmony.
Into the gaiwan the leaves go for a brief steeping. The aroma of the now wet leaves is a sweet and rich blend of roasted peanuts, yams, molasses, and a tiny touch of spice at the finish. The liquid is intensely sweet with notes of cocoa butter, caramel, yams, and a touch of sweet cream. It smells quite decadent.
First steeping, well, that is certainly delicious! The taste starts out somewhat mild with roasted peanuts and a touch of spicebush. This fades into an explosion of rich caramel and molasses sweetness, this sweetness lingers for quite a while as a tasty aftertaste. The mouthfeel is very smooth and velvety.
The aroma of the second steeping is so strong, there are intense notes of molasses, roasted peanuts, caramel, and raw honey. I like that I can smell my teacup from the other side of my desk, it makes waiting for it to cool enough to drink a pleasant experience. The taste is just as rich as the aroma, with strong notes of molasses, cocoa, and spicebush. The finish is honey sweet that leaves a nice lingering sweet aftertaste between sips.
For the third and final steep, the aroma is still pretty rich and sweet, with strong notes of yams and caramel, there is a mild finish of spicebush, giving the aroma warm quality. The taste, while not as intense as the previous steep, is still very sweet and rich. There are notes of cocoa, yams, and molasses. As before the aftertaste is one of honey that lingers. This tea is really quite fantastically sweet, it lives up to its name perfectly.
For photos and blog: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/07/green-terrace-teas-honey-black-tea-tea.html
