Bu Lang Mountain Black Tea from Menghai * Autumn 2016

Being a fan of Bulang puerh, I figured this would be a good black tea for me to try out; I was right. This one seemed to have a bit more body and depth of flavor than most hong that I drink. Slight bitterness if pushed, but mostly malty and sweet flavors – a bit of caramel and some kind of dried fruit, maybe raisins. I wonder how much my impression was colored by the word “Bulang” in the name, as I equate that with a more bold and burly style of puerh.

This was definitely a good black tea, but I likely won’t buy more of it – just because black tea isn’t something I drink much of generally.

A hong cha from Bu Lang? How could I say no?

The dry leaves are big, twisty, and beautiful with a good number of golden buds. Some of them barely fit into my pot. Dry aroma of malt and raisins with a floral touch.

Brews a medium orange, this is a fairly mild black tea. Flavors of malt, mineral water, and raisins with a light, almost jasmine floral quality. Mild caramel sweetness with a medium-light body. Lasted quite a few infusions.

This is a pretty nice lighter bodied black, especially if you like some floral notes to your black tea. Not at all bitter or intense like you might expect a Bu Lang tea to be.