Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Tea Description:
An extremely well made special tea from Sichuan (Szechuan) province. One of the finest black teas available today. Reddish liquor, clean taste, mellow flavor. Exquisite!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
What a lovely black tea – this Sichuan Zao Bei Jian Black Tea from Upton Tea Imports. It is so well-rounded … so full of flavor. It is smooth and mild, but, it also has a certain heartiness to it.
I love the flavor of this tea … it is smooth from start to finish, with minimal astringency. No bitterness whatsoever. As I mentioned at the start, it is very nicely round, it seems to fill the palate with flavor without overwhelming it, providing a good, strong flavor without being overly aggressive.
There are lovely notes of fruit to this tea, reminiscent of sun-ripened stone fruit … a sweet plum, perhaps, and sweet currants, but without the hints of sour that often accompany a plum or currants. The sweetness is somewhere between fruit and caramel. As I continue to sip, I notice a drying astringency beginning to develop, but it is a very slight dryness, reminding me of the dryness that might accompany a dry red wine.
In fact, that is what this tea reminds me of … a sweet, dry red wine. Robust and full, but mellow and sweet. Just a very enjoyable cuppa – a nice afternoon tea.
