Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Joseph Wesley Black Tea
Tea Description:
Made strictly from the early, fresh, tender, and young buds of the Da-Bai tea cultivar, Joseph Wesley’s Black Tea No. 6 showcases the sweet, smooth and slightly toasty characteristics of China’s famous Bai Lin Congfu black tea. This tea is sweet in taste and beautiful in construction with a delicate array of golden-orange buds and a distinct fuzz showcasing the skill used in the complicated hand-crafting of this tea. With notes of caramel and cream, Joseph Wesley’s Black Tea No. 6 is an enduring way to reenergize in the morning, afternoon, or before a night out on the town.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmmmmmmmm! Yes, this tea: No. 6 – Bai Lin Congfu Black Tea from Joseph Wesley Black Tea warrants nine m’s. It’s that good.
The dry leaf is beautiful. The leaves are dark brown with lots of golden tips. The aroma of the dry leaf is earthy, and the fragrance of the brewed tea is also what I would describe as earthy. There is relatively little here in the fragrance that hints at the flavors that will be experienced with the first sip.
It is incredibly smooth. No bitterness whatsoever. Just smooth from start to finish, and it finishes with a slight dryness that intensifies slightly in the aftertaste. And it’s sweet, and the thought that comes to mind when I think of the sweetness is a warm, silky caramel. So smooth and rich and sweet. It almost tastes like I’m drinking something that I shouldn’t be drinking because it tastes that good, you know? Kind of like licking the mixer blades after you’ve made a chocolate cake, you know you shouldn’t eat that raw cake batter, but, it tastes so good that you just can’t stop.
There are hints of sweet fruit in the distant, with notes of wood, leather and earth that are a little less distant, with a haze of smoke that sort of films over these flavors just a little bit. Further obscuring these notes are the incredibly decadent sweetness of the cup. As the tea begins to cool, I pick up on some creamy notes as mentioned in the above description.
A truly remarkable tea. Put simply … I think I died and went to tea heaven. If you like black tea – you’ll love this. And if you love black tea, I caution you: you may become obsessed with this one.
I think their packaging must be some of the most beautifully designed that I have ever seen. I have a couple of canisters waiting to be reviewed and I can’t wait to dig in, especially after reading your review!
I love their packaging! Maybe it might be a strange thing for me to be so excited for packaging as I am, but, when I find a company that has paid special attention to details like Joseph Wesley has done … it really pleases me.
I’m new to the blogging world and apologize if it’s bad form to comment on a review of our own tea, but I wanted to chime in to say thanks for the nice review about the tea and the comments about the packaging. In particular, I’m really happy to read that you like the packaging. The design and branding of the teas is very important to us as we feel that the craft and art of tea is often overlooked by the industry in favor of more commercial messages such as health and fitness. For whatever it’s worth, it’s our belief that health is implied in tea, everyone knows tea is healthy – it’s not something one needs to advertise. Craft and art, however, are often unknown traits of a fine tea. As shocking as it may sound, I find 80% fo the people who buy our tea don’t know that tea comes from a leaf nonetheless that it’s handpicked or, as is the case with our #6, that it’s actually crafted by hand. Thanks again for your nice comments and liberteas – if you’re interested in sampling some of our teas, send me a message!
Thank you, Joseph, for commenting here, I don’t think it’s in bad form.
I agree with you completely. I get almost “aggravated” with those that tout the health benefits of tea, because it’s like … I already know it’s healthy. I don’t drink tea for the health benefits though, I drink it because I love the beverage. I love the art of tea … I love the complexity of the layers, and sipping on a cup of tea is very much like experiencing a work of art. There is so much to a really good cup of tea, and this #6 is a really good cup of tea!