79

I figured if I somehow ended up with 150 grams of this tea between two different harvests, it had to be better than my last session indicated. I’ve had good luck with black teas holding their flavor for years after purchase, but perhaps this one didn’t hold up. Thankfully part of that 150 grams I have was a newer 2016 harvest that shouldn’t have lost it’s luster, so I’m giving that a try today.

The leaves of this harvest look a bit more intact and the ratio of full leaf to golden bud material seems a bit more even than my old bag, which leaned more towards full leaves. The smell of the dry leaves is that of malt and honey.

The wet leaves smell of cedar and honey. Right off the bat I can tell this is going to be better than my older bag. The taste isn’t flat like that was — it has rich notes of malt, honey, and peppercorn. The liqour is creamy with a medium body.

This tea actually reminds me a lot of Verdant’s Jin Jun Mei. There’s some similar flavors and it’s another tea that doesn’t change much over the course of a session. Through the session the flavor bounces between peppery and lemony, with a consistent malt and honey sweetness and occasional notes of sugarcane or florals.

Later in session there were small hits of cooling menthol sensation (but no mint flavor, which was good, because I think it would have clashed with the rest) and a velvety feeling in the mouth that’s reminiscent of Golden Fleece. The aroma of the leaves also gains a stunning floral quality. It had a fairly solid staying power and doesn’t start to drop off until steep 10 or 11.

I’m so glad I tried the newer harvest of this tea — it’s a very solid black tea. I still don’t think it’s a stunner, but it’s a really enjoyable cup.

Flavors: Cedar, Creamy, Floral, Honey, Lemon, Malt, Peppercorn, Sugarcane

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 4 g 4 OZ / 118 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

People who liked this

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

I don’t pay too much attention to the number scores I give teas — they’re just an approximation of my feelings on them, so if you really want you know what I thought you’ll need to read the whole, longwinded tasting note.

Location

Snohomish, WA

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer