Fengqing Dragon Pearl Black Tea

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Black Tea Leaves
Flavors
Jasmine, Chocolate, Leather, Toffee, Dark Chocolate, Wood, Berries, Cocoa, Dried Fruit, Honey, Malt, Strawberry, Sweet, Sweet Potatoes, Autumn Leaf Pile, Bread, Fruity, Mineral, Floral, Smoke, Raisins, Wet Wood, Wet wood, Brown Sugar, Molasses, Musty, Spices, Thick, Creamy, Milk Chocolate, Thin, Burnt Sugar, Earth, Toast, Smooth, Apricot, Earthy, Stonefruit, Wheat, Woody, Wet Earth
Sold in
Not available
Caffeine
Medium
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by SimplyJenW
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 5 g 24 oz / 708 ml

From Our Community

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313 Tasting Notes View all

  • “I used 4 “balls”. and eventho the product description says ‘slight chocolate’ I picked up a whole bunch of chocolate-malty-goodness in this! Incredible! I’m going to do another infusion after this...” Read full tasting note
    90
  • “After having Loaded Baked Potato Soup, I served Italian Cream Cake. I didn’t make it! A friend sent it to me and it came from Sam’s club and was delicious! The frosting tastes a lot like the...” Read full tasting note
  • “another tea from this morning. the world has distracted me today. :) However, i am looking forward to sipdown saturday! and sample sunday! woot woot!” Read full tasting note
    86
  • “I went on a casual date last night. The guy messaged me afterward, and this morning I sent the “hey-I’m-not-really-into-dating-right-now-but-thanks-for-meeting-me” reply. Which shouldn’t sound like...” Read full tasting note
    100

From Teavivre

Origin: Fengqing, Yunnan, China

Ingredients: The leaves come from wild tea trees

Taste: Taste sweet and smooth, with a slight flavor of chocolate

Brew: 3-4 pieces for 8oz of water. Brew at 212 ºF (100 ºC) for 1 to 2 minutes (exact time depends on your taste – a longer time will give the tea a stronger taste and color)

Health Benefits: Being a fully oxidised – or fermented – black tea, it does not have the same level of antioxidants that our White and Green teas have, however it is still a good source of these and so will also help reduce the risk of cancers and lessen the affects of aging. Black teas such as our Fengqing black also are considered to help prevent tooth decay and help lower your cholesterol levels.

About Teavivre View company

Company description not available.

313 Tasting Notes

149 tasting notes

I received this sample from the incomparable MissB. Thank you so much for sending this, because I’m in love with this one!
I used 5 pieces in my gaiwan, and followed the directions from the website (rinse 10 sec, then 30 sec infusion, adding 20 sec after for each infusion).
The dry tea itself smelled so lovely….chocolate and malty and utterly delightful.
Smooth mouth feel with such balanced notes.
As I progressed through infusions, the taste would shift (the chocolate sometimes being right there in the front, other times hanging back…), but each one so intriguing, fascinating my taste buds (seriously, this was a GREAT tea experience).
Definitely will add this one to my ‘must buy’ list.

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251 tasting notes

I found this one in the back of the cupboard with the Bailin Gongfu black (score!) the other day. I tried it for the first time today and while it was tasty, I screwed up the steeping and the flavor was weaker for it. I think I looked at too many teas and for some reason I thought it needed 2 min @ 212F, but when I tasted it I wasn’t getting much chocolate so I investigated. On the TeaVivre site, it says 5-10 minutes @ 203F. Kind of a big difference. Oops!

So in the meantime, I am going to reserve the score until I steep it correctly. Even now it is smooth and pleasant though. I have enough to make it one more time, wish me luck!

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80
694 tasting notes

I received a sample of this from boychik. Thank you!

The peals are so big! They are also very pretty with the dark brown and copper tones mixed in. This is my second time with this tea. The first time I felt the tea was very weak. This time around i tried to remedy that by steeping at just under boiling and for the full 2 mins. The tea turned out well this time around. I am getting a lot of cocoa and hay flavor. For me this tea is not very sweet like some have mentioned. This is a tasty cup.

EDIT: The 2nd steeping on this one might be better than the first for me. This is almost like the dark roast of black tea.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
boychik

I agree it’s not sweet like golden monkey or Dian hong, more like cocoa and maybe even some spice. I like it gong fu style;)

TeaTiff

It seems quite a few of the black teas I have been enjoying lately might enhanced by the gong fu style so I just broke down and purchased my first gaiwan!

boychik

Oh, you are going to enjoy it. There is no way back for me. Except for Indian teas that’s western.

Terri HarpLady

Yay for Gongfu Cha!

Dexter

Enjoy your new gaiwan!

TeaTiff

Thanks guys. I am excited!

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95
2238 tasting notes

So a little while ago, Angel of Teavivre invited me to taste some tea samples. This is the first I picked out to try from the selection she sent me. I was hooked from first sip. I’ve had one dragon pearl tea previously, but it wasn’t a patch on this one!

I used 4 pearls (which turned out to be exactly half the sample). The pearls themselves are really pretty — chocolate brown and cream — and the scent dry is of cocoa and hay. I added boiling water, and left them for around 4 minutes. The pearls completely unravelled in about two minutes, and I was left with a dark-ish liquor and the strong scent of chocolate.

To taste, this is really amazing. I was expecting something quite sweet, which I got, but it also has a real richness and depth of flavour. I get cocoa first, followed by a mellow nuttiness, and then an almost grapey, wine-like flavour to finish. I loved it so much I brewed the second cup straight away!

This tea has really made me reevaluate Chinese blacks, which for some reason I’ve always neglected. I’ve tried Chinese greens before, but I’ve nearly always chosen Indian teas when it comes to black. This one has made me think, though, and I’ll definitely be looking to expand my experience of Chinese black teas in the future!

Many thanks again to Angel and Teavivre for giving me the chance to try this outstanding tea!

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp
Terri HarpLady

Although I love a bold Assam, there is always something about Chinese blacks that is alluring to me :)

Tealizzy

I love these!

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89
21 tasting notes

The Leaf: The size of the pearls is slightly smaller than a standard marble. Nice even fragrance of malt and chocolate. The high percentage of golden buds included gives each ball a marbled look contrasting them with the darker fully oxidized leaves. Some impressions left on each ball, supposedly during pressing, suggest they were made by machine or gloved hands.

The Brew: The liquor is golden brown and slightly cloudy. The aroma is similar to the leaf, malty and chocolaty. The flavor is very complex with tones of chocolate, malt, grain, spirits, and prune. Fairly sweet, but also leaves a slight dryness on the tongue. The flavor is full-bodied, but also quite bright and light. Aftertaste is subtle but lingers for a while.

I drink all of my teas cold.

Flavors: Chocolate, Malt, Raisins

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec 7 g 17 OZ / 500 ML

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818 tasting notes

Just finished off the sample that Angel sent me. I must have more of this tea, so I just placed my first official Teavivre order! Woohoo! Can’t wait!!

Stephanie

This one is soooo goooood

TeaVivre

So glad you like this tea, and thanks so much for your supporting on Teavivre:)

Scheherazade

I loved this one too. It’s an amazing tasting tea!

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75
91 tasting notes

I prepared this tea Western style in a small teapot due to time constraints this morning.

First impression – chocolate forward! My first sip was all chocolatey goodness, which surprised me a bit. It’s lightly malty, which is a good match for the chocolate flavor. The aroma of the liquor is like a heavy version of what you expect of a Yunnan Golden Tip. Almost like the aroma is weighted down with something more complex.

One thing I like to do with a tea is close my eyes, take in the aroma, and sip it a bit while allowing my mind to wander (I like to think of it as my medi-tea-tion). Many teas take me places in my imagination, and I allow the tea to tell me where that place is. This tea takes me to a forest in winter covered in dry snow. It is comforting in the abandoned place and a perfect complement to the experience.

When I have a free morning, I’ll be excited to try this tea again Gong Fu style to see what flavor subtleties I can squeeze out. Thanks again to TeaVivre for the selection of samples!

Flavors: Chocolate, Honey, Malt

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 30 sec 3 tsp 14 OZ / 414 ML

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82
408 tasting notes

This my first Teavivre tea I think and I used the full sample sachet to make a teapot (of 1 liter).
Let’s go for a stupid digression but I am not very attracted by Tea pearls aspect because they always remind me rabbit’s turds.
Anyway all the tea pearls I had in the past were very lovely experiences so it is really not an issue to pass though this stupid prejudice.

The pearls are quite dark but with lots of golden streaks.
It is not a full bodied tea, it’s a mild one, sweet, mellow . I am not noticing any bitterness at all.
I can detect earth notes, baked bread and malt of course. The cocoa note to me are poping up at the end of the sip.

A very lovely tea, perfect for a morning cup. Thank you Courtney for sharing.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 45 sec
cteresa

Now I will never be able to that image out of my mind! you are right, sadly.

Ysaurella

ahaha I know I know I am terrible but it looks really much like that rather than “pearls” :) but for sure the name pearl goes better with tea and as a poetic evocation.

Nicole

I had never thought about it, but yes, they do. :)

Courtney

Glad you enjoyed this one. :)

looseTman

“I used the full sample sachet to make a teapot (of 1 liter).”
“It is not a full bodied tea, it’s a mild one …”
How many pearls did you use in 1 liter?
Per http://www.teavivre.com/black-dragon-pearl/: 9 pieces for 500 ml, or 18 pieces for 1 liter

Ysaurella

I didn’t pay attention to how many pearls I had in the sample but probably around 10. I only steeped it for 5 minutes so it may have been stronger if steeped 10 minutes (as proposed on the sample sachet)
Having said that it was really a very lovely blend and I more appreciate plain teas with a medium body rather a strong one

TheTeaFairy

Haha, we should rename this tea “Bunny Pearls”!

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87
790 tasting notes

So… this is a sipdown, running me out of Teavivre teas before my order arrives. :) I didn’t replace these but that doesn’t mean they were bad. I had mixed results with this tea but overall I liked it more than I didn’t like it.

Sweetish, caramely, thick, malty. For me, this tea was very water and temperature dependent. Too much temp without the right water and way too much smoke came to the forefront. Maybe it isn’t smoke I get from these teas where no one else gets it, maybe it’s burned tea from my improper prep! :)

These cups today were done with Hinckley Spring Water at about 205F and I used 10 balls for 16 ounces, steeped for about 3 minutes.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 0 OZ / 0 ML
Cameron B.

I was never really impressed with this tea for some reason. It’s good, but not something that I would order compared to some of their other black teas. :P

Cameron B.

Oh, and I wanna hear what you ordered! :D

Nicole

LOL… I got the Superfine Tan Yang & the Golden Monkey. A sample of the Jasmine Bi Luo Chun & the Bailin Gong Fu – I need to compare that to Shang’s Bailin to see if I prefer one over the other. :) So I didn’t go nuts or anything. Just enough to keep some in my cupboard!

mj

I liked the taste of this tea a lot, but it had a weird powdering texture. I know, powdery liquid? Makes no sense but that’s what it felt like. I still would have ordered some, but it was sold out :(

mj

powdering = powdery. I’m the worst with typos

Nicole

That is a good way to describe it. I noticed that in a few of my steeps as well but couldn’t come up with the right description.

Cameron B.

Those two Bai Lins seemed quite similar to me, but I didn’t drink them at the same time, so it’s hard to say. And hooray Tan Yang! <3

ashmanra

I know what you mean by powdery! I love it, though. I use it to pair with rich sweets so the tea can “cut” the sweetness of the food and you still taste the tea. I think it reminds me of what cocoa powder would feel like on your tongue.,,kind of scrape-y. Recently we settled on the feel of a wooden spoon with those little ice cream containers. :)

mj

ashmanra, cocoa powder is what I though of as well!

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20
22 tasting notes

I brewed in the “Chinese Gongfu Way” listed on the tea’s website. With the recommended 5 pieces, and a quick 30s brew after a few seconds of rinse, I found the leather flavor overpowering, similar to few black Teavivre teas I’ve tried so far.

Flavors: Leather

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 30 sec 3 OZ / 88 ML

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