Dark Rose Tea

I have to admit, I was intrigued by this one, & I’m grateful to Stephanie for sending a sample my way. Although I’m not a huge fan of ‘flavored’ teas, I do tend to always want to try novelty shaped teas, made from just natural ingredients. (I really want to try the Anhui Basket tea too, & Stephanie also sent me a sample of that one!).

I don’t really have much to say about it, other than I enjoyed the cup. I like heicha, & my understanding is it’s like Shu puerh kind of, but seems to me to be somewhere in between black tea & Shu. Flavors I was able to pick out: Wood, Leather, & light Rose.

Thanks so much Amanda Wilson for sending me a very generous sample of this tea!

I had an AMAZING day yesterday you guys! HUGE all day outdoor art fair with incredibly beautiful weather, and then a gallery opening in the evening. The theme of the gallery show was a movie mashup- The Big Lebowski in Little China, LOL. Anyway both went great, and my Lebowski piece sold within an hour of the opening starting and I’ve already taken two reprint orders! WOO!

ANYWAY, yesterday was long and good but I reached for this tea because I may have had a little TOO much fun at the gallery opening (it was at a bar/cafe) so I reached for this one assuming the cute little compressed heart was some kind of puerh…

I’m not totally sure it is! It sure tastes more like a black tea to me. Nice and dark and malty. Also I think the rose adds a nice subtle sweetness but is not too overpowering. Very nice tea. I will enjoy drinking the rest of this sample packet for sure, whatever it is :)

this is in the style of pu-erh, but instead of the barnyardy tasting yunnan peninsula, this tea comes from the sweet earthy hunan peninsula. so it’s already better, and then it’s aged 3 years, blended with rose petals, and pressed into heart shapes. hands down one of my all time favorite teas. the rose petals do little more than add a pretty effect and slight floral aroma. the body is so thick, amazing for a tea. the aroma is of sweet black tea. savor the tea, it is slow and luxurious. i don’t add sugar, but you could. it’s borderline sweet enough on its own, but you might want a little bit.
i usually steep it 4 times. 2 minutes the first time, 3 the next time, 4-5 the next time, 10 minutes or more the final time. it is fairly consistent in taste in each steeping this way.
when i first saw this tea, i thought it was some kind of a gimmick, but nope, this is fo’ real. so there you go.

Details:
Kettle: Breville Tea Maker
Temp: 200
Steep Time: 1:15 min
Type: Dark Tea, Disk

First Steep: ~1:15, mellow and very light color and flavor. Nice earthy base notes and very slightly floral.