Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: East Pacific Tea Co.
Company Description:
This tea is a treasure from the Yunnan province of China. Since it is grown high up in the secluded mountains there are only limited quantities of this rich tea available each year.
Taster’s Review:
What a remarkable Yunnan!
All the flavors that I would normally expect in a high quality Yunnan are there – but each note is just a little better than I expected. Am I contradicting myself? Allow me to explain what I mean…
When you think of a black Yunnan tea, what immediately comes to mind? For me, these qualities come to mind: complex, full-bodied tea with a rich, bold flavor and deep notes of spice.
The spice notes are there, but somehow they seem more enhanced – spicier, perhaps? Hints of pepper and even a slight nutty taste come through. There is also notes of earth and wood to the cup. Yes, this is a very interesting and complex cup of tea!
The flavor of this cup is indeed rich and bold; well-rounded with a fair amount of astringency that is drying and even a little bit starchy. It has a sweetness to it that reminds me of sweet potato.
What a beautiful Yunnan – every bit as beautiful as a flake of gold!
I am starting to get more into Yunnan black teas. I also have found them to be more diverse than other styles of black tea that I am familiar with, such as Keemun. I find that they can range from spicier and peppery (which seems to be the peculiar or unique characteristic to these teas), to deeper and malty (a little bit like an Assam). I also find that they can vary hugely in color, from deep, clear reddish, to black like black coffee, to lighter in hue. Similarly, the astringency, bitterness, and sourness also seems to vary a lot.
Maybe I’d feel this way about other black teas if I tried more of them, but so far, I haven’t found this level of diversity in anything other than perhaps Darjeeling. But I honestly haven’t tried that many Yunnan teas yet…each one seems really different from the others to me.