Feng Qing Gold Needle Spring 2015

This poor old leaf was getting up there in age, so I felt as though I had to overleaf to get it as strong as I liked. Still, once it brews up, it has decent longevity for a hong, and a nice flavor.

I am mostly getting sweet, earthy malt, but there is also some cocoa and floral in there. Excellent price, even with the overleafing, so would make a good daily drinker!

Thanks terri! i hadn’t tried this one (hers is the autumn 2015 version) and this is a really nice one! malty, bold, delicious. exactly what i needed in a tea today!

From the Beginner’s Pu’erh TTB.

Brewed semi-gongfu/semi-Western method with a glass test tube steeper. Amount of leaf leaf is actually 1.8g since that was all that was left. No rinse. Steeping times: 1 min, 1’ 30", 2’, 4’, 8’.

This Dian Hong has the most hot cocoa-like aroma I’ve encountered thus far. I smelled malt the first second I stuck my nose in the packet but it quickly paved the way for a powerful chocolate powder. I may be fooled if I were blindfolded. Having sat in the heated steeper, and being washed with water after the first infusion, the cocoa is magnified. Chocolate deluxe. Death by chocolate.

The liquor is beautifully golden orange, having a full body and creamy texture. The fannings and small bits were about a fourth of the amount of leaf I took from the packet, and I had thought they contributed the strong malty note one would in certain Assams. However, that seems to be a characteristic of this Dian Hong. The malt stays the entire session, but gradually lessons a little. Inverse proportion: there is hint of honey-molasses sweetness in the second infusion but the sweetness strengthens.

Overall, rich and strong. A good Dian Hong for every day, especially when one’s spirits need lifting and you’d want a nice hongcha.

Just gong fu’ed (?) this again this evening. A very nice, solid black tea. Nothing super grand but, when steeped right, is smooth and tasty.

I have not been in the mood for black tea lately, But a friend sent me this and I had to try it . So glad I did as this is a very tasty Dian Hong !

This was a very beautiful looking twisted black and gold leaf :)
I brewed it at 100c first and decided it was too bold for me so I switched to 80c (skipping the 90c) and found that it made a almost malted caramel tea. The malt came through while the robustness of the tea was subdued. This is how the slight sweetness creeped in.
I feel like a boss making this tea @ 80c for 30 to 45 seconds. May end up trying the same with other dian hong type of teas to see if a sweetness comes out from the tea when brewed at a lower temperature.