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“Wow, this is a great and interesting tea. It smells of chocolate, cocoa, coffee, tobacco and moist earth. The taste is malty, funky, earthy with a little hint of mushroom. There is a smooth...” Read full tasting note
“First of all, these Red Dragon Pearls are gorgeous when dry! They’re a deep black-brown with streaks of toffee brown. And with the size and roundness of marbles, they’re noticeably bigger than...” Read full tasting note
“I’m the first to write a tasting note for this lovely tea?! Another sample from Teasenz. How I love pearls and here are some really delicious pearls. I’ve tried a few, and these are really nice....” Read full tasting note
An unusual black tea hand-rolled into “pearls” in southern Yunnan, China. This fantastically bold brew offers up all the flavors of a crisp autumn day with just one pearl. Malty, nuanced, and tannic, it also offers complex flavors of fallen leaves, cocoa, and spiced, stewed apples that set it apart from other black teas. Floral aromas and a clean, sweet finish round out this singular infusion.
Where is Red Dragon Pearl Tea originated from?
red Dragon Pearls are originated from Yunnan, a Southern Chinese province bordering Vietnam. It’s believed to be the birthplace of tea, and the oldest wild growing tea tree (never pruned to be bush height) is about 1,700 years old. Yunnan’s most senior cultivated tree is a relative youngster – a mere 800 years old. These are the large leafed tea varieties – Camellia sinensis assamica – which is also found in India. Yunnan also has the distinction of producing more black tea than any other part of China, although it’s a relative newcomer to this variety. Black tea was first produced here in 1939, and is distinguished by its unique peppery, earthy and sometimes cocoay flavor.
How to Steep Red Dragon Pearls Tea?
Steep Red Dragon Pearls tea in 95 C° hot water for 3-5 minutes.
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Wow, this is a great and interesting tea. It smells of chocolate, cocoa, coffee, tobacco and moist earth. The taste is malty, funky, earthy with a little hint of mushroom. There is a smooth astringency at the beginning but it finishes smooth. This is a very flavorful and fun tea that stands out from the pack. I used 4 pearls for 12 ounces of tea and it brewed up nice and strong with a slightly mellower re-steep.
Flavors: Astringent, Chocolate, Cocoa, Coffee, Malt, Mushrooms, Tobacco, Wet Earth
First of all, these Red Dragon Pearls are gorgeous when dry! They’re a deep black-brown with streaks of toffee brown. And with the size and roundness of marbles, they’re noticeably bigger than pea-drop Jasmine Dragon Pearls (which are lovely in their own right). I read somewhere that these pearls can contain between 20 and 30 leaves. It sounds like a lot, but it looks shockingly accurate once you see the huge pile of wet leaves in the strainer. I actually counted the leaves one time after they had cooled – and three Red Dragon Pearls contained over 70 leaves!
Despite having no additives, Red Dragon Pearls has a bolder, more complex aroma than other black teas. Along the usual tannins, I smell woods, cocoa, earth, even a hint of smoke. Ohhhhhh, I love it already! It makes me want to curl up by the fire and sip the night away. (Small problem, though: No fireplace in my condo!) The aroma subdues once the tea’s been brewed, but it still exudes a comforting warmth that’s perfect to offset a cold morning in autumn or winter.
Since I’m not a fan of strong black tea, I make my first brew by steeping two Red Dragon Pearls for 3 minutes. Out comes a beautiful, rich chestnut brown liquid that suits its fragrance. Each sip blooms with the flavors of cocoa, earth, and autumn leaves, with a hint of malt and a slightly sweet aftertaste. This reminds me of the fall-ish / outdoorsy taste of Dong Ding Ming Xiang Oolong, except deeper and fuller. Something tells me this isn’t the tea’s full potential, though. Maybe it’s the medium, slightly watered-down body. Well, I did use only two tea pearls for this first cup….
Let’s kick the next brew up a notch with three fresh Red Dragon Pearls. WOW! Now this is what I was looking for. A fuller body, with more flavor and a thick smoothness that blankets your mouth. The additional pearl enhances the tea’s maltiness without adding much bitterness. In fact, this tea isn’t bitter at all (possibly because of the short brew time). It’s scrumptious down to the last drop, even after it cools. This would be a wonderful way of warming my insides after shoveling snow – or, returning to my earlier metaphor, the perfect fireside companion.
Teasenz doesn’t offer resteeping options for Red Dragon Pearls, but I was curious to see how it would come out. So, I let the previously used three pearls worth of tea sit in newly boiled water for 5 minutes. Not bad! It’s weaker than the two-pearl cup, but still yummy. There’s also a touch of astringency that leaves a slight dryness on my tongue, and a headiness from having two consecutive cups of black tea. Or, maybe the latter is giddiness from finding what could be my new favorite black tea.
Read my full review here: http://bibliophilesreverie.com/2014/12/03/teasenzs-red-dragon-pearls/
Flavors: Autumn Leaf Pile, Cocoa, Earth, Malt, Wood
I’m the first to write a tasting note for this lovely tea?! Another sample from Teasenz. How I love pearls and here are some really delicious pearls. I’ve tried a few, and these are really nice. I went with five of these larger pearls in a 12 ounce mug, black and gold leaves wrapped tightly. These are called “red” but Teasenz is from China and China likes to call their black teas red. This is Yunnan tea which is one of my favorite types of black tea. I went with a short rinse with boiled water then steeped for two minutes. The color of the cup is actually a luscious red. The flavor is deep dark chocolate, with hints of maple or brown sugar. Perfect level of depth and briskness. The second steep was very nice too, as the leaves were completely unraveled, maybe just not as chocolate as the first cup. The cup actually looked like some milk chocolate had been melted in the mug. Very delicious – one of the most delicious types of teas. If these were the first pearls I tried, I would have fell in love instantly. And I’m remembering how much I love them now. I wouldn’t have any problem stocking these as the pearls in my cupboard! Many of the pearls seem like they could be from the same source, since most of them are from Yunnan, but these are some of the best I’ve tried.
Steep #1 // just boiled // rinse // 2 min
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 min
http://www.teasenz.com/red-dragon-pearls-black-tea#.U_EkycjD9hg
Flavors: Dark Chocolate
