Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Cameron Tea
Tea Description:
Region: Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan
Type: Black Tea
Oxidation level: Fully oxidised
Taste: Strong and refreshing flavour.
Terroir: Sun Moon Lake is located at altitude of 700m, surrounded with mountains and lakes with remarkable environment and typical climate for growing black teas. Heavy moist and stable yearly average temperature make the tea trees grow thick and rich tea leaves which produce carmine and perfectly clear liquor.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve got to tell you, every time that I’m preparing to brew one of these black teas from Cameron Tea, I get really excited! The tea is simply superb!
And this competition grade Taiwan Sun Moon Lake Formosa Black Tea from Cameron Tea is no exception. The leaves are dark chocolate in color. They’re long, slender and wiry, but they aren’t so slender that it looks like they’ve been slivered down to size. They appear to be whole leaves that have been rolled lengthwise.
The dry leaf doesn’t have a strong aroma, it smells a little bit like warm leather and earth. It’s a very light scent … barely there. The brewed tea has a stronger fragrance, offering warm notes of leather, molasses and maybe even a gentle spice note here and there. It’s not a particularly strong scent, but it’s pleasant.
But it’s the flavor that wins me over with this tea. It’s a warm, rich, robust flavor. It’s not robust in the way that … say an Indian Assam black tea would be. It’s not the kind of black tea that I’d turn to to get me up and running for the day. It isn’t a strong “gusto” kind of tea.
Instead, this is more of the kind of tea that I’d want for my second cup of the day. After I’ve already got my jump start, and I’m looking for something to keep me going and something that is going to inspire a positive outlook on the rest of the day – this tea is THAT tea!
It is sweet with notes of cacao and caramel and yes, even some notes of molasses. It’s a sweet tasting tea, but it doesn’t taste cloying. There are subtle hints of earth and leather. It has a thick, buttery, smooth texture to it, although it doesn’t taste overly “buttery” the way a green tea or green Oolong might. At the start, there is very little astringency. It does build as I continue to make my way to the bottom of the cup; I start to notice a sort of dry “pucker” in my mouth after the sip. But it is a subtle sensation, and even those who tend to be sensitive to astringency would probably find the astringency of this tea acceptable.
As I continue to sip, I start to pick up on notes of stone fruit. Imagine a ripe plum that’s been drizzled with molasses and then lightly roasted. That’s the fruit note I’m experiencing. Not so much of the “tart” or sour notes of the fruit, it’s all about the sweetness of life in this teacup!
I love this tea! Then again, I’ve been overjoyed by everything that I’ve tasted thus far from Cameron Tea. If you are looking for exceptional black and Oolong teas … you need to check out Cameron Tea!
