Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Product Description:
Cultivated from the ancient protected tea tree forests of Yunan Province, China, this rare and exquisite black tea makes a full-bodied and earthy infusion with a rich and penetrating aroma heavy with age and collective wisdom. The flavor of this deep amber infusion is unlike any other black tea available. Truly exceptional.
Taster’s Review:
This really is an exceptional tea, and one that teaches me not to judge a tea by its dry leaf presentation. It doesn’t smell exceptional, and it doesn’t really look exceptional. But, the taste – is truly remarkable!
The tea has a very deep, rich taste to it. Earthy, yes. I can taste a Pu-erh kind of taste in the background that is earthy. But that isn’t all there is to this tea – and if it was, I probably wouldn’t consider it remarkable or exceptional, since I’m not a huge fan of Pu-erh. I like this much better than any Pu-erh I’ve ever tasted, because there is so much more to it.
The flavor has a hint of woody taste to it, like a damp wood. Consider an old growth forest just after it rains. The smell of the trees, the earth, the leaves and the air … that is what I taste in the background… that essence.
If I were to attempt to describe this tea, I would say it is somewhere between a Yunnan Pu-erh and an Assam tea. It has that maltiness that an Assam usually possesses, and there is the most exquisite underlying tone of sweetness too that is caramel-like. Sweet and almost creamy. The finish is sweet with a light, cleansing astringency. The aftertaste focuses on hints of earthiness as well as the deep sweetness that I am falling more in love with after each sip. This is really good.
An excellent black tea!
