Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Cameron Tea
Tea Description:
Region: Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan
Type: Black Tea
Harvest Time: Winter 2013
Oxidation level: Fully oxidised
Taste: Natural flavour of cinnamon with a slight hint of mint.
When to drink: Throughout the day
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Having tried and LOVED the Premium Grade Sun Moon Lake Ruby Black Tea from Cameron Tea, I was excited to try their Competition Grade Ruby Black to see how it would compare.
I brewed this tea in my ceramic teapot which I warmed using hot tap water prior to measuring out the tea leaves. I pinched out what appeared to be the equivalent of two bamboo scoops of the tea into the vessel. This tea – because of it’s long, wiry leaves – is difficult at best to attempt to actually measure out with my trusty bamboo scoop. So, unless you have a scale, you’re probably better served to use the noggin here and give it your best guess rather than to try to measure this tea with scoops or spoons. I personally do not have a tea scale – and I don’t want one! Tea should be simple and scales = scientific. Science = not simple.
Anyway, after putting an estimated 2 scoops of tea into my teapot, I then added 16 ounces of near boiling (205°F) water to the teapot and let the tea steep for 3 minutes. The result is a near perfect cup of tea! (Well, actually, a mug of tea!)
It’s been a little while since I last tried the Premium Grade Sun Moon Lake Ruby Black Tea, but what immediately caught my attention about this tea is the cinnamon-y spice notes! I don’t remember the spice notes being quite as forward in the Premium Grade version of this tea, and I’m not sure why that is.
Just beneath the cinnamon-like notes I notice flavorful notes of cacao – now those flavors, I remember! I think that the big difference, at least in flavor, between the two grades is that this Competition Grade has a more pronounced spice note and the Premium Grade has a stronger cacao focus.
Other than that, this tea is very similar to the Premium Grade … both are rich, satisfying teas that would serve well as a breakfast tea or mid-to-late morning tea. There is a strength to this cup that I find appealing, it’s the kind of tea that I want early in the day to keep me going.
This is really quite lovely on a day like today, when the weather is getting just a little cooler. Not a lot cooler yet, but, I’m certainly ready and eagerly awaiting more signs of autumn to appear! But this tea definitely has an autumnal sort of flavor going on and I like it a lot.
Another cup of AWESOMENESS from Cameron Tea!
mmm, sounds lovely 🙂