What Black Are You Drinking

Oxidized tea
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LeoFox
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Fri Sep 17, 2021 10:45 am

A wild red tea from da xue shan:
https://essenceoftea.com/collections/re ... ld-red-tea

This was a kind gift from @Baisao

I was told by several people that this tea is thick and jammy and calming.

My first attempt, however, didnt work out using 4g/80 mL starting at 20s. The tea was thin and tart (a little like blueberry) with some fruity aromas. Once I realized I brewed too lightly, I pushed infusion 5 for 40 minutes. The resulting tea had a better flavor, but the astringency was so strong, I felt as if my throat was swelling up.

So then, after some time, I tried again at 5g/85 mL starting at 30s. This was much better, especially the second infusion. The tea was thicker (medium thickness), and the tartness (now a bit sharper and made me think of cranberries) was balanced by a honey like sweetness (bug bitten?). There is also a very forward and strong sumac spice note (reminded me of za'atar) that lingers into the finish, which is slightly earthy, medicinal and oily. The astringency is well controlled - I can feel some throat tickles.

I was able to get around 4 solid infusions before the tea fell off. The later steeps develop a leathery note.




Overall, this flavor combo is interesting to me, but not something that i would personally enjoy everyday. I feel that it is clean but also packs a strong punch.
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LeoFox
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Sun Sep 19, 2021 6:07 pm

A very powerful tea made from the "Huang gan" cultivar harvested from some unmanaged mountain tea garden in taiwan.

This cultivar is one of the oldest in taiwan, and was hybridized with an assam to make TRES 10.

The tea is very powerful- there is a strong upfront dried orange peel bitter-sweetness and a lingering cooling sensation. In the gaiwan there is some maltiness that is smoothed out nicely in the hong ni.








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klepto
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Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:12 pm

2020 Wild Yuchi Black Tea:

I dipped back into the last of my 2020 bag now that I can procure it from a couple of sources :D.
When I had it previously it tasted like rum cake to me but that when it was brewed in a kohokujo pot..
This time I brewed it in a nosaka oxidation pot and got different notes. So delicious, enjoyable and
has loads of depth with complexity.

Origin: Yuchi Township, Nantou county, Taiwan,
Harvest: summer 2020
Cultivar/Tree Variety: "wild" grown camellia sinensis var. assamica.

I am always sus of any wild tea talk no matter from whom so I'll digress..
oolongfan
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Sat Sep 25, 2021 9:29 am

[/quote]
Joining the party courtesy of Bok.

Brewed this gaoshan hong cha in hong ni.



A very interesting tea indeed! The soup is malty and sweet with dried fruits - balanced by a pleasant and lively acidity. The retronasal aromatics are strong and remind me of certain gaoshan. The tea deposits a nice coating in the mouth that prolongs the aftertaste.
[/quote]

That goashan hong cha looks and sounds wonderful!
I think we are going to have to form a support group for those addicted to Bok's teas and pots ;)
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LeoFox
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Tue Sep 28, 2021 8:15 am

I found a 5g bag of teavivre superfine keemun in my closet.

Anyways- long story short, stay the #%# away from their keemuns. It is so nasty- I could not believe it. Brewed with super short infusion time in 85 mL gaiwan - the tea tastes metallic, bitter bitter bitter, and astringent in the throat. Horrible! This is worse than lipton, possibly the worst black tea I have ever had.
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klepto
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Wed Sep 29, 2021 3:17 pm

I picked up some interesting teas from What-cha:

Kenya Golden Tips Black Tea, it looks exactly like silver needle but with more body. It has lovely cantaloupe and honeydew notes with the nectar of a good silver needle. I really liked it and it is a perfect sweet spot. I am not sure of the oxidation levels but it interesting and delicious to say the least.

Nepal Jun Chiyabari 'Royale Ruby' Black Tea: Thanks to @Baisao for introducing me to Jun Chiyabari as I the green tea I got from the steeping room was so good I was seeking out oolong and black versions. This one impressed me also. The complexity, flavors and almost dancong like texture. I was tasting rich cherry, dark chocolate, a bit of woods and more. By the 3rd steep I thought I was drinking some lao man e puerh.. I was being reminded of a cake of green peacock that I got from TWL. From steep to steep I was getting something different.

Let me put on my lab coat for a moment.. When I am buying teas I am not familiar with I apply some standards to those teas and I was happily pleased with these. Between drinking hojo tea and dxdj teas I've gotten a nice baseline for quality. I picked up some very different teas based on my curiosity and I am looking forward to brewing the rest of what I ordered.
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klepto
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Sat Oct 02, 2021 1:43 am

First order ever from Tea Habitat, hong cha not dancong:

2021 Wild West Lake Jiu Qu Hong Mei:

My feeling for it went from hate to love rather quickly. At first taste it was dry tasting almost like a shot of vermouth and I couldn't taste anything else. I said yuck but then the very rich blackberries and raspberries kicked in. My mouth was watering for some reason and it tasted better and better. i rarely ever notice qi in a tea but this one was blasting me in the face. It was 1am and I was as happy as could be. I look forward to trying the rest of my order. My wallet is wounded by taste buds are satisfied. :mrgreen:
...wild Long Jing varietal, a classic Hangzhou black tea Jiu Qu Hong Mei..
Aromatic, pure, sweet berry, lasting a good 10+ brews, incredibly tasty for a Zhejiang tea!
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LeoFox
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Sat Oct 02, 2021 8:19 am

klepto wrote:
Sat Oct 02, 2021 1:43 am
First order ever from Tea Habitat, hong cha not dancong:

2021 Wild West Lake Jiu Qu Hong Mei:

My feeling for it went from hate to love rather quickly. At first taste it was dry tasting almost like a shot of vermouth and I couldn't taste anything else. I said yuck but then the very rich blackberries and raspberries kicked in. My mouth was watering for some reason and it tasted better and better. i rarely ever notice qi in a tea but this one was blasting me in the face. It was 1am and I was as happy as could be. I look forward to trying the rest of my order. My wallet is wounded by taste buds are satisfied. :mrgreen:
...wild Long Jing varietal, a classic Hangzhou black tea Jiu Qu Hong Mei..
Aromatic, pure, sweet berry, lasting a good 10+ brews, incredibly tasty for a Zhejiang tea!
Maybe that means it would benefit from a quick rinse
oolongfan
Posts: 156
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Location: Indiana, USA

Mon Oct 04, 2021 4:30 pm

Ethan Kurland's Ruby Red – I grabbed this by mistake instead of the Championship Black without realizing it. When I tasted the first cup I thought wow I don’t remember this having a ginseng candied lemon profile Quickly I realized my mistake but was not disappointed as this Ruby Red (unlike many pale imitations) can hold its own to expectations of the wonderful Championship Black – albeit in its category. I love the mouth puckering notes ginseng and candied lemon which provide a lovely contrast against the deep sweet malt, cereal grains, muscat(?) and molasses notes. My only complaint is that this is just too quaffable so I have a hard time slowing down and taking notes. Good thing I got a double order.
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debunix
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Mon Oct 04, 2021 9:57 pm

oolongfan wrote:
Mon Oct 04, 2021 4:30 pm
My only complaint is that this is just too quaffable so I have a hard time slowing down and taking notes.
A great problem to have!
Ethan Kurland
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Mon Oct 04, 2021 10:19 pm

oolongfan wrote:
Mon Oct 04, 2021 4:30 pm
Ethan Kurland's Ruby Red – I grabbed this by mistake instead of the Championship Black without realizing it..... My only complaint is that this is just too quaffable ...
I am glad you enjoy this tea. Sometimes it is sort of just comfortable for me to drink; sometimes, it seems special. I am not selling this at the moment. I have only one unopened pack & decided to keep it for myself. (Shipping for this got so expensive & slow that I will wait until I get overseas & carry the tea home.

You are much better at identifying specific flavors than I am. We are alike in that I drink large quantities of this also.

When steeped long it is pretty much a black tea, but it is not oxidized quite that much. "Red oolong" sort of describes it best (I suppose).
oolongfan
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Tue Oct 05, 2021 9:47 am

Ethan Kurland wrote:
Mon Oct 04, 2021 10:19 pm
oolongfan wrote:
Mon Oct 04, 2021 4:30 pm
Ethan Kurland's Ruby Red – I grabbed this by mistake instead of the Championship Black without realizing it..... My only complaint is that this is just too quaffable ...
I am glad you enjoy this tea. Sometimes it is sort of just comfortable for me to drink; sometimes, it seems special. I am not selling this at the moment. I have only one unopened pack & decided to keep it for myself. (Shipping for this got so expensive & slow that I will wait until I get overseas & carry the tea home.

You are much better at identifying specific flavors than I am. We are alike in that I drink large quantities of this also.

When steeped long it is pretty much a black tea, but it is not oxidized quite that much. "Red oolong" sort of describes it best (I suppose).
I forgot that this tea is not really a black tea. It really deserves it's own catagory since it has many of the lovely malt flavors of black tea but without the tannins. I will be certain to put future post in the oolong catagory - sorry folks ;)

I am sad to hear that you are not offering but understand. I am glad that I got two bags of this -thanks. This is one of those teas that is both very quaffable but worth slowing down to appreciate the nuances.
oolongfan
Posts: 156
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Location: Indiana, USA

Tue Oct 05, 2021 9:54 am

debunix wrote:
Mon Oct 04, 2021 9:57 pm
oolongfan wrote:
Mon Oct 04, 2021 4:30 pm
My only complaint is that this is just too quaffable so I have a hard time slowing down and taking notes.
A great problem to have!
A terrible problem indeed and one which I hope to have often ;)

On another subject I seem to recall you saying that you had an unopened bag of Norbu's wonderful Ali Shan Red oolong? If so I hope that you share your impressions, albeit in the correct thread, for my stash is long gone but I have fond memories of that tea.
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Bok
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Tue Oct 05, 2021 10:32 am

@oolongfan it’s the right place it’s still a Hongcha :)
oolongfan
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Tue Oct 05, 2021 12:40 pm

Bok wrote:
Tue Oct 05, 2021 10:32 am
oolongfan it’s the right place it’s still a Hongcha :)
Speaking of Hongcha… I drank the last bit of your wonderful Hongcha today. Despite being down the last bits and tea dust the resulting brews were fabulous. Deep wonderful blackstrap molasses, incense dark cherries sweet yet with a touch of lovely sourness, brown sugar, Rose petals, grains, buckwheat honey. Very powerful with great endurance, a little goes a long way. Despite such rich brooding flavors there is a minerality and lightness to balances all that deep sweet complexity. One of those multi faceted teas that I suspect of having even more flavors waiting to be revealed with adjustments to leaf amounts and steeping time. Cannot wait to get more of this:
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