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This is another sample from my surprise package from derk!

Two of my all time favorite teas blended together? Yes, please! But it was going to be too good to have it just any old time, so I waited. And yesterday I spent HOURS trimming and pulling down the dead vines from the back side of the wall o’ jasmine. It is gorgeous from the yard, but from inside the house and on the carport, it had become a tangled brown mess of all the old vines and was obstructing the view and what little light we get from that angle.

I had to be really careful as there are still some bird nests up high. With each tug, ancient pollen, dust, and debris showered down into my face and in my hair. I ended up filling three garbage cans – big ones – before stopping. My goal was to have a lovely view from my newly cleaned off carport which looks onto the back garden. I put a small table and a rocker there with a huge fan to keep it comfortable.

My hands were blistered, I was covered in dirt and pollen, and I was ready to relax HARD.

So as a treat, I made this tea last night and sat in the rocker until midnight, reading, sipping, and enjoying the newly re-exposed view!

This is a fantastic tea. It reminds me of a bygone tea I loved but can no longer acquire, Emperor’s Red from Premium Steap. What a tea that was! They never told what the blend was, but I think it must have been very close to this.

This was so smooth. A cocoa aroma not only accompanies the sip, but that powdery “raspy” feel is left on the tongue. It is not at all an astringency or a sourness, it is like you have tasted some dry cocoa powder. It has enough heft to use it as a breakfast tea, and yet is smooth enough to drink by itself in the afternoon or evening. (If you don’t need to avoid caffeine later in the day!) With the dry cocoa, like a perfect dance partner, the Dian Hong adds its full roundness and body, with an extra touch of sweetness and some middle and high notes to go with the low dark notes of the Fujian tea.

I resteeped the leaves and the second steep was wonderful, too. It was good enough that I have saved the leaves to give it one more go today. I will try to add another note for the third steep, as this is a rather expensive tea and getting three western steeps would make a difference in how I view the price for an order!