Sipdown! (23 | 59)
A small sample of this tea was included in the Tea Thoughts Galentine’s Day box I purchased. The foil package actually said “Zheng Shan” and the cultivar is listed on the website as Xiao Zhong, but they don’t refer to this tea as a Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong, and in fact they have a different tea with that name. Maybe someone better versed in Wuyi hongcha can explain the difference to me, ha ha.
Regardless, this does in fact taste similar to an unsmoked lapsang to me. It has a nice malty backbone, yet it’s not heavy and in fact tastes quite clear and clean. Then there are the somewhat tart fruity notes, perhaps plum or dried cherry. And to complete the trifecta, the finish is quite floral. I’m not good at identifying floral notes, I should really practice it. Orchid, maybe…? It’s the type of floral note that isn’t my favorite because it tastes a bit soapy to me. There’s a tiny bit of dark, unsweetened cocoa along with some burnt sugar notes in the background.
It’s a lovely tea, but not destined to be a favorite for me, just because of those floral notes that aren’t to my personal preference. Still fun to try though, and I enjoyed my cuppa! :)
Also, Old Ways has some fun-looking samplers at good prices, I might have to pick some up one of these days! :)
Flavors: Burnt Sugar, Caramelized Sugar, Cherry, Cocoa, Floral, Fruity, Grain, Hay, Malty, Musty, Orchid, Plum, Savory, Smooth, Spring Water, Stonefruit, Sweet, Tart
