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“It is a smooth, sweet tea with pronounced notes of dried fruits. Very pleasant. I recall that the 2012 version that I had around 2018 was even better, with a thicker mouthfeel and stronger aromas....” Read full tasting note
“When I first tried this tea I was rather disappointed: the dry-leaf aroma was all but absent and the first seep returned a very muted flavor. But then it started growing on me – and kept doing it...” Read full tasting note
“Small, tightly compressed cake, still reasonable to break from the edge. The taste was immediately lovable. Actually I fall in love with any decent black tea, it doesn’t take much, so I’ve been...” Read full tasting note
This is a blend of black tea from both the Mengku and Feng Qing area of Lincang. Both Autumn harvested black teas processed with sun-drying technique (晒红) . The tea is picked, wilted, fried, bruised by rolling, wet withered, and then finally sun-dried in it’s final stage (much like raw pu-erh mao cha).
When sun-drying is applied in the final stage as opposed to heat-drying, the result is a black tea that is more subtle when young, but ages very well over the coming years. Younger sun-dried black teas also tend to steep longer and display more character in the middle to later steeps.
This is a strong black tea with plenty of depth and complexity that will age wonderfully, developing honey sweetness and earthy spice character after just a few years.
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2018 "Drunk on Red with Osmanthus Flower" Sun-Dried Black Tea Cake
Yunnan Sourcing"Drunk on Red" Sun-Dried Jing Gu Black Tea mini cake * Autumn 2011
Yunnan Sourcing2011 "Drunk on Red" Sun-dried Jingnu Black Tea Mini-Cake
Yunnan SourcingSpring 2014 Drunk on Red with Snow Chrysanthemum Sun-Dried Feng Qing Black Tea mini cake
Yunnan SourcingAutumn 2012 "Drunk on Red" Sun-Dried Feng Qing Black Tea mini cake
Yunnan SourcingSpring 2013 "Drunk on Red" Sun-Dried Feng Qing Black Tea mini cake
Yunnan SourcingIt is a smooth, sweet tea with pronounced notes of dried fruits. Very pleasant. I recall that the 2012 version that I had around 2018 was even better, with a thicker mouthfeel and stronger aromas. Perhaps that can be accounted to the age difference of 6 versus 2 years?
This tea is also really, really cheap.
When I first tried this tea I was rather disappointed: the dry-leaf aroma was all but absent and the first seep returned a very muted flavor. But then it started growing on me – and kept doing it for days. This tea has a very balanced and smooth taste: just the right proportion of fruity sweetness, malt and bitterness. After finishing the first cup I thought that it was actually not bad at all. Next morning I wanted more of it, and then at lunch, and in the evening, and the day after… Almost every time when I wanted a cup of tea I kept reaching for this little cake.
This is an archetype of a Chinese red to me. It has nothing of note but somehow carries the essence of what Hong Cha should be. This tea is incredibly versatile and can go along with any mood, but is especially good at accompanying food (anything baked).
On the negative side, this is not a tea for gong fu: the best way to have it is to make a large pot Western-style and do not resteep. There is not much complexity. It is an epitome of a daily drinker – and at a very affordable price.
It is like after dating many impressive and showy but high-maintenance people you finally find someone who may not be so unique and stunning but you feel that this person is definitely a long-term relationship material. I am very happy with this find and will get a lot more.Flavors: Bitter, Fruity, Malt, Raspberry
Interesting to notice a raspberry flavors. Or is it some kind of typo?
Actually, I read the reviews of this tea by other people and raspberry was mentioned multiple times. and while drinking it I thought that I can see what made them mention raspberry: it is not the lush fruity sweetness typically associated with raspberries, but rather another component of the raspberry flavor, the robust, almost malty backbone unique to those berries. I am certainly struggling to express it, but I could certainly see why those reviewers thought about raspberries.
Small, tightly compressed cake, still reasonable to break from the edge. The taste was immediately lovable. Actually I fall in love with any decent black tea, it doesn’t take much, so I’ve been making an effort to judge teas and try to minmax pleasure.
Leaves smell deliciously like paper or oregano when they encounter water. The smell left behind in the cup is of raspberry.
In its first year, I think it has a perfect, if high pitched, balance. Tartness, woodiness, density, berry-sweetness, and herby savoriness, which consistently keep the same levels across steeps. A black tea’s berry taste could get repetitious, but this always has a background of flavor to reference the tartness to.
It only dries the mouth a little, but rather numbs or fuzzes. I’m also pleased to see how long the taste stays in the mouth and throat, thickly vaporous, while leaving some slow-bursting spicy embers. Perhaps it’s named after the mildly liquory aftertaste? It’s a very discreet but present tea, why I like black teas.
Tea energy and the demand on the stomach were both pretty minimal, at least drinking this evening. It seems like a safe tea to have on bad days.
Longevity was good, and I got eight steeps while staying within the 15 second mark. However, now that I’ve leafed it at the super heavy 10 grams, I’ll have to see again how little leaf I can use in a session without compromising on something.
Despite the aftertaste, I don’t yet notice the honey or spice projected to come in a few years. The bitterness has some room to mute down, as long as it gains something piquant in return.
Day later report: I’ve put this through at least 10 rounds in the gaiwan, I’ve thrown it around in a thermos and took it to office, and I’ve boiled it on a stove, but this tea lasts forever.
