Imperial Feng Qing Dian Hong Black Tea of Yunnan * Spring 2013

Thank you Dag Wedin for this sample.

Dian Hong will always be one of my favourite teas and it’s hands down the tea that I have the most of in stock in various forms.

I also know I have been a little quiet this weekend but truth be told I have been feeling a little under the weather and a lot of my depression has re-surfaced but I hope to be more active. Perhaps the next day or two will lighten my emotions and get me back on form.

This tea has some wonderful, long and super golden leaves that feel a little hairy and very soft. The beautiful golden leaves have a sweet malted and gentle floral scent that’s very fresh and darkly fruited.

Brewing this in my Gongfu teapot – roughly 6g of loose tea and for three steeps.

Steep One – 1 minute – Tea is golden brown in colour with a thick and sweet malted aroma with a hint of dried prune.

Flavour is smooth, silken and sweet with elements of malt, fruit, flowers and honey. Very refreshing and it leaves a delicious fermented fruit after taste.

Steep Two – Two Minutes – This time it’s a little more earthern and wooden than it is fruity or sweet. A little astringent but soft enough to still be on the smooth side.

Steep Three – Three Minutes – Light golden brown in colour now. Very subtle and still with hints of malt and wood.

Overall this is a very tasty Dian Hong that is on the gentle side as far as strength is concerned. A definite recommendation to those interested in this one. :)

The only thing I would change would be to increase the steeping leaves to roughly 7g to improve the strength. This is purely down to personal taste.

2 heaping tsps in 12 oz

Wow, now I don’t know if I prefer this one or the Imperial Mojiang. The leaves are gorgeous. Perfectly straight needles. Not a single one broken. It has a very rich, heavy mouthfeel. And perhaps for the first time, I am finding a tea pleasantly astringent. Usually when I find a tea astringent, I consider it a negative, but this one has a very slight astringency which balances well with its “thickness”. Hope that makes some sense.

BTW, this note is for the Spring 2013 plucking.

Next up will have to be a side by side taste test of these two marvelous teas.

4g / 220ml yixing
3m @ 85C

First try for a single infusion. Good result, powerful smoth cup with heavy body. Almost feels creamy ^
Sweet hints of honey and potato? Malty with a slight astringancy.
Perhaps i will try 2.5m next time ^ or somewhat less leaf.
Anyways this is a very nice cup. Will have to try gong-fu as well :)

I received my Yunnan Sourcing order on Wednesday. I just couldn’t resist the sale they had at the end of December. This is the first tea I decided to try. The leaves were very thin compared to their length. The shape was more needle-like than any other Dian Hong I’ve had. The colors ranged from golden to brown with some olive-toned ones as well. I brewed this one western style to see what a strong cup of this would be like. The texture is smooth, the flavor is well-rounded. The things I don’t like so much about this tea: the tannins are drying the back of my throat a bit, and the aftertaste isn’t great. I have a strong preference for teas with long sweet finishes, and this unfortunately doesn’t quite deliver.

This one just tastes like wood and tobacco for me. xD I don’t get the tobacco taste in most teas…it took me a few sips to really pick it out. Haha!
But yup. There it was.
Also, this one tastes a bit smokey, which is odd. Don’t think many others have tasted that!
Oh well. Thanks for the sample, Terri!

Definitely wanted to try this one! Thanks so much CharlotteZero! I went with two teaspoons (I tried to follow Teavivre’s Dian Hong instructions!)

Steep #1 // few minutes after boiling // 2 min
The fragrance is lovely! The flavor seems to be between Teavivre’s Golden & Full Leaf Dian Hong’s. It’s neither sweet potato or chocolate… somewhere in the middle! This is very nice, but I feel like both of Teavivre’s are better because they aren’t in the middle. One is super chocolate, one is a ton of sweet potato. This blend also has some fuzzies that are usually on white tea that likes to bother my throat.

Steep #2 // just boiled // 4-5 mins
I might have let this one steep too long, but the flavor isn’t bad. This cup is very similar to the last cup. Very nice, just not as nice as Teavivre! They don’t have tiny fuzzies. The flavor isn’t as full as I’d love it to be. I will gladly drink the rest of my sample though!