I’m an avid black tea drinker. I know there are many kinds of tea out there that asked to be tasted but i tend to stick more with black tea than any other. The reason for that is that I like full-bodied tastes, but at the same time I dislike the bitter elements in black teas. Now when I think about it, I prefer bitter elements in green teas, it’s funny actually.
That’s why I’d rather have a cup of Chinese black tea than Indian and the ones from Yunnan are my favourite.
Dian Hong is my cup of morning tea, and I’ve been through at least 400 gr of this one in particular (through 2012 and 2013 harvests) and I find it to have very good quality/price ratio. This tea brews an average impression with Gongfu preparation style (Full-leaf and Golden tip grades prove much better this way) but it really shines with western preparation method. I normally use 3 gr with my 250 teapot and steep if for 4 minutes and boiling water.
The infusion comes out in the cup with deep red-brown tone and aroma of molasses and faint citrus at the top. The taste is full and deep, rich note of molasses is touched by a slight sweetness and are finished with a light notes of citrus and freshness. After a few sips I might have a slight stiffening sensation in the throat (I never figured out why this happens to me with some teas), and peppery element slowly sets in and rests at the tongue along with a smooth coating. What I like with this particular tea is that it doesn’t get bitter easily. Actually, that could be said for greater part of Chinese black teas, Keemun is a perfect example of this.
Since this is a review based on 2013 harvest I’m anticipating on trying the 2014 one, which I really hope to be closer to 2012 one which had more buds and more prominent citrus-sweet note.
Flavors: Citrus, Molasses, Orange Zest, Sweet
