Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Basic Tea

Product Description:

This organic Dian Hong is an exquisite black tea from the Yunnan Province of China. Also translated as “Yunnan Red” due to the reddish infusion of the tea leaf, this handmade, smooth tasting tea can be compared in taste to top quality Assam teas from India.

Taster’s Review:

This is a very interesting tea.  Delicious and quite different from any black tea that I’ve tried, while at the same time, very similar to many different black teas I’ve tried.  Yeah, like I said, it’s very interesting!

The dry leaf reminds me quite a bit of a Formosa Oolong.  The leaves are dark, twisted, and long and tangled, just like a high quality Formosa might be.  In fact, I was so certain this was an Oolong that when I went to look for more information about it before brewing it, I looked in the “Oolong” section on the Basic Tea website.  I certainly did not expect to find it in with the black tea.

But upon tasting this tea, it becomes quite evident that this is a black tea.  But then again, this is a very curious tea in that it doesn’t taste like a typical Yunnan, although there are notes that are quite similar to a Yunnan, and yet this Dian Hong is a bit more even-toned than a Yunnan, and its the smooth, mellow notes that remind me quite a bit of a Ceylon.  There is also a rich, malty quality to this tea that is quite similar to an Assam!  Hmm… curiouser and curiouser!

I can taste some piquant Lychee flavors in the background as well as a hint of rose that sort of lingers on the tip of the tongue in the aftertaste.  This is really one of the most fascinating teas I’ve ever tried!